


Reign of Terror

by ForFutureReference



Series: Dandelion in the Storm [2]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, everlark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-04-13 13:38:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4524093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForFutureReference/pseuds/ForFutureReference
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been several years since Alma Coin gained control of Panem, and now she's looking to eliminate threats to her plans. Will Peeta be able to get through this with his friends and loved ones? And what about the fate of the nation? *Sequel to "Vox Libertas"*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: A FUBAR Future

_If virtue be the spring of a popular government in times of peace, the spring of that government during a revolution is virtue combined with terror: virtue, without which terror is destructive; terror, without which virtue is impotent. Terror is only justice prompt, severe and inflexible; it is then an emanation of virtue; it is less a distinct principle than a natural consequence of the general principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing wants of the country._

Maximilien Robespierre, 1794 CE

* * *

***Haymitch***

"Hey, I meant it when I told him he earned the break. All of those kids down there have earned a break."

I know it's silly, but I feel like snapping at somebody right now. In this case, it's these two striped not-dogs lounging in the foyer and staring at me with judgmental stares after I had stepped off from the elevator. Or maybe they're just staring in anticipation of mooching more food off me.

So I trudge past them into the command center, where I announce myself with a grumble: "Had to shoo away the boy from trying to join our little meeting."

When I saw Peeta's pleading and earnest stare, it was tempting to give in and allow him to tag along. He's smart enough to know that the topic of the coming conversation is going to involve him. Still, while he's also smart enough get the hint to back off, hopefully he'll take my sincere advice to actually relax for once.

"Did I miss anything?"

Probably not — still, it never hurts to be sure — considering how everybody else in the room ignores my question in favor of watching Olympia play an upbeat tune on her oud. Since she has all her focus on Beth, who bounces with laughter in Hazalle's lap, the victor's likely performing just for the baby's benefit, not ours; however, it's not like the music isn't pleasant for the rest of us either.

Before I take my seat, the series of colors flashing outside gives me pause, and I take a look down towards the plaza. At this moment, Annie and Finnick — easy to forget that all those horrible things had happened to the victor just a couple months ago — dance to an upbeat tune performed by those Central kids who helped us liberate Twelve. I'm not the only person taking note of the latter's musical skills considering how intently Plutarch stares at a display screen.

"That band has quite the talent," he muses before turning to Porus. "Say, after this war is over, I'm possibly thinking of a new show. Perha—"

"For your own sake, you'll keep your cameras and greasy mitts to yourself and away from those boys," the Commandant growls, which immediately causes the Gamemaker to back off while Beetee shares a smirk with his Central and victor colleagues.

Despite her being a frosty bitch with no qualms about brutally ending lives, I'll admit that one thing I can appreciate about Porus is her commitment towards the people under her protection. Too bad she has no intention of extending that protection beyond the confines of this isolated community.

"So…" I say while plopping down on the seat and pouring a glass of mead for myself, "now that we all have filled ourselves with good food and congratulated the happy couple, I guess we all might as well get right to the point."

Except we don't, at least not initially. Instead, we go over the usual logistics and progress of the Rebellion, even though things have pretty much become cinched ever since the Nut fell and we gained control of Twelve. All that's left is the Capitol itself, and the plans for that are already in the finalization stage with soldiers throughout the nation training for the final push. Eventually, however, talk about that finally leads to subject at hand:

Alma Coin.

It's no secret to anybody that she's the one poised to become President of Panem once we depose Snow. And to many in the districts, this woman who lives a life of austerity and has led the Rebellion against the Capitol's tyranny is a natural choice to replace the nation's current ruler. Well, it's a natural choice except to those who have become familiar with Thirteen's different flavor of tyranny, its honestly creepy rhetoric about population sustainability, and its leader's… charming disposition. Who knows what's going to happen once all of the Panem falls under her control.

Thing is, identifying the issues with Coin is the easy part. Harder is the subject about what we're going to do. Not to mention another subject that's just as pleasant:

How does Peeta Mellark, current representative of the Rebellion, fit into all of this?

It's when those two subjects finally collide during the debate — it's brought up that, out of all of us, Peeta's the only one who'd actually be able to get close enough to kill Coin due to the latter not viewing him as a personal threat; a political threat on the other hand… — that I finally snap, "And who here thinks that the boy will actually go through with an assassination if given the chance?" And for once after almost half an hour of discussions, the whole room goes silent and still, which just causes me to lean back with a sneer. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

I'm not even going to fault Peeta on that, even with the possible repercussions. It's one of his many decent qualities, and I'll be damned — well, damned more than usual — before I be party to something that changes him.

"So we just allow Coin to come to power?" asks Paylor. "I don't like the idea of putting Peeta in such a situation anymore than you, Haymitch, but if this conversation is any indication, that's the only real option we have with the minimal chance of it leading to another civil war."

"Well, the way things look, another civil war could be on the horizon anyways," I counter. "We might as well spend this time planning on how we'll remove Coin from power rather than going through all of these half-baked ideas to keep her from ascending in the first place."

Part of me soon regrets saying that. Because not only do we decide to focus on the goal… but the boy once again becomes the centerpiece of the discussion. In this case, it's the potential of him once again to be the face of this hypothetical Third Rebellion.

"Why are you all talking about Peeta as if he's just a tool to be directed around?" Hazelle snaps as she allows Beth to go back to suckling. "It's clear that he's not going to like being thrown back into the fray."

"But do you think he's going to refuse?"

Plutarch's question makes the idea of jabbing my knife into his pompous face very appealing. Except that I know he's right.

It's clear to me that this has always been so much more than saving Katniss — granted, there's still that — to Peeta. He's honestly invested in the principles of the Rebellion—no, scratch that… not the Rebellion; the Rebellion is just another power play. Rather the more I think about it, the more I'm sure that the boy has become invested in some ultimate ideal for the future of this nation… even if he doesn't know it yet.

Even if it kills him.

To think that I actually remember snippets of the boy before that fateful day over a year ago; yes, there have been times when I've left my house. I wouldn't exactly have called him carefree — sort of a given considering the family — but there was a certain youthful cheer he held, even for many his age and even through a good portion of time after that reaping. Also, I wasn't kidding when I once called him the "sane victor".

Now, however, there's a look in his eyes and certain way he carries himself that makes most of us older victors seem perfectly well-adjusted. Despite that, and I seriously don't know how he does it, he still somehow manages to keep things together at least in public. Those times when he does lose control however…

I'll admit that even I got caught up in all of Peeta's accomplishments throughout the course of this war, and I almost began to see him more as a symbol like everyone else. Even during those moments when he went absolutely bonkers, I thought nothing more than basic concern over the sanity of a colleague. But that moment when the boy broke down in my arms reminded what he really is: a kid who has practically lost everything and is now forced to play the part of an adult in some event no decent person should shoulder even partially.

I take a look at one of the screens focusing on the current festivities and notice how everybody down there is actually  _happy_. It sometimes makes me wonder whether we — we elders who nudge these children in a certain direction with the hope of them working and fighting for some greater good, despite the danger they face; a hell of a lot more danger than what comes our way — are actually the real enemy.

"Haymitch."

"Huh?" I manage to be shaken out of my thoughts to see that everybody in the room is staring at me with varying degrees of expectation.

Not to mention a slight amount of irritation that seems to be afflicting Plutarch's face as if he were trying to ask me something before; then again, maybe that's what he was doing. "Do you think Peeta's going to accept the idea of staying involved?"

Even if we aren't the enemy, it's definitely clear as to what we are: "We're real pieces of work, aren't we."

To their credit, everybody — barring Plutarch and Porus; I still can't get a good read on the latter, so I don't think she counts — in the room looks slightly ashamed at my declaration. Well, at least we can acknowledge how FUBAR this all is.

"Yeah… more likely than not, he'll stay involved," I note. "Hell, you'll probably have to keep him from helping out  _too much_."

"Well you all better make sure that you have his back the whole time," Hazelle adds with no small amount of venom.

Now that's out of the way…

"So what's the word on the districts?" Paylor asks. "I know that, while it was only a single event, Peeta's actions during the bombing resonated with the people in my district."

"Same goes for Bread Boy's attempt at donating his earnings," Chaff adds in. "Those two kids are heroes in Eleven even though they haven't even set foot there since the Tour."

"That's well and good, but the fact is that both Eight and Eleven are districts which would potentially benefit from Coin's policies. We can't rely on isolated incidents alone, so you're going to have to find some what of working from that and cultivating something that lasts," Fulvia tell both the commander and the victor. I'll admit that the Gamemaker's assistant raises a fair point and the two she addresses seem to agree as well.

"District Three may have been one of the first districts to rebel against the Snow," Mayor Charlton notes, "but if Coin's style of governance is how I imagine, then I reckon the people will have no love for her either. So besides the fact that the people have expressed gratitude to Mellark for getting us to eliminate the Peacekeeper presence, this district has grounds to oppose Coin." I notice that he's not including Central, nor does Porus speak up about it. So I wonder if they're going to help, or if it's back to neutral seclusion unless they get prodded enough; probably the latter.

"Then there's what you call the Career districts," says Lyme. Well someone had to state the obvious. "No matter how you cut it, chances are that they aren't going to be treated well after this is over; not even Four's early revolt is likely to spare it. Even if there aren't going to be retributive actions taken against the inhabitants, they're going to have no love for the new government. Already the soldiers from Thirteen are not that well-received in Two, even among many of our rebels."

"Not to mention how close they came to killing us," mutters Olympia. "Granted, Peeta's speech at the Aedes Bellonae was well-received. I know my son considers him honorable, and the opinion is shared by many of those who used to be Peacekeepers. You wouldn't have thought that a year ago people hated him for supposedly being a 'deceitful little coward' during the Seventy-Fourth and, to add to that, an 'instigator that can't survive on his own' during the Quell and first part of the war. No offense Haymitch; I'm just paraphrasing."

Honestly, that just makes me chuckle. "None taken. The boy actually jokes about that fact. If anything, he thinks that all this praise he's getting is undeserved." Some of us are still utterly incredulous at Peeta's level of self-depreciation, to which I simply shrug. I've given up on attempts to figure him out a long time ago.

"Anyways, we'll probably have to make sure that the inhabitants of those districts don't do anything rash lest an excuse is given for Coin to issue retributive action." Lyme pauses for a moment and lets off a sigh. "Which is probably easier said than done."

"Speaking of which…" Cinnabar decides to turn to Porus with no small amount of hesitation. "Commander, do you mind if Olympia and I… well… 'accidentally' leave our children here when we go back to Two."

The Commandant doesn't look thrilled with that suggestion. "Yes I do mind. Central is not some daycare for people to drop their kids off when times are tough outside." However, after a few minutes, she sighs, "What are the youths' skill sets? And should I be concerned about the Peacekeeper boy?"

In contrast to Porus' exasperated sigh, the one the redheaded victor releases is of relief. "My eldest daughter is a decent mechanic, even if the vehicles are unfamiliar. She's really good at metalworking if you need a smith."

"And Marcus also has good maintenance skills, though in the realm of appliances, logistics, and infrastructure," Olympia adds. "Of course he's not happy about all the Peacekeepers who were killed by Central, but he understands the nature of war. As long as people here don't rub it in his face, and as long as your forces don't deliberately target civilians, he shouldn't be a problem. Also, he and Mercury will be able to look after the younger ones."

"One last thing," Cinnabar adds, and I know exactly what he's about to mention. "I also have a son." Judging by the way he looks at me, I also regret telling him the full details about what happened to that son.

"Cinnabar," I mutter with a sigh, "We can't guarantee Darius—"

"Well you can try," he growls. "I know it wasn't your fault my boy got Avoxed — many curses be upon Romulus Thread's name, and may he forever rot — but it's your Rebellion that focused Snow's attention on him. And it's now your Rebellion that marches on the Capitol. So his fate is now your responsibility."

I hate being forced into a corner like this, but I don't disagree with my fellow victor. "If he's alive when we take the Capitol, we'll do what we can to get him out of there safely. Nothing more." With that, I turn to the Commandant to state, "The kid was also a Peacekeeper."

"I recall him." Porus' curt statement catches me completely off guard — my fellow victors as well — and before I can ask anything, she notes with a pointed look to Olympia, "I recall his friend as well. And I recall them refusing a place in Central in favor of loyal service to the Capitol. So what makes you think that they'll fit now?"   

 _Well shit…_  This is not going the way any of us want. "I've known Darius for several years, and yeah, he was a bit of an idiot at first, but we were all young and stupid once." I try not to let my desperation show as I try to issue damage control. "Most of the time, he consistently showed himself to be an independent thinker; if he wasn't, the Capitol wouldn't have Avoxed him for trying to save Hawthorne. Also, I may not be familiar with Olympia's boy, but if he really loved the Capitol, our symbol would probably be dead."  

Cinnabar may not be satisfied with my vague assurance of Darius' safety, but think he and Olympia appreciate the plug.

Several more agonizing minutes pass in silence before Porus finally relents. Of course, she doesn't forget to add on the usual sets of warnings should they cause any issues.

Getting back on track, I note, "I think Ten and Five are a bit of a crapshoot. Though I know someone from Ten; he's a decent guy, has connections, and is planning on going back to his district after the war's over. So we may be able to work something out from there. And I think Five is able to be swayed, though some persuasion may be needed." That district may be rebelling, but its overall atmosphere is about as enthusiastic as One's. Even if we can't get them to participate, they'll probably be receptive to the idea of neutrality.

Despite mentioning the potential of all these districts to be going up against Coin, nobody wants to mention the three Coin-loving elephants in the room. Well… nobody except for the Commandant: "What about Districts Six, Seven, and Nine?"

And as expected, everybody becomes uncomfortable at that line of questioning. Because the fact of the matter is that those three districts are obviously in line with Thirteen itself. Already they seem to be receptive to the general pro-worker political philosophy Coin espouses, and it probably doesn't hurt that those were the first three districts that were fully secured by the Rebellion. And so far, we don't have anybody that can help sway the populace as those districts never cared for their victors even when they were still around; hell, Johanna has no intention of going back to Seven as the damn rebels lynched their remaining victors due to the neutrality of the latter.

Worst of all, it's not like we can dismiss the three districts as irrelevant in this grand scheme we're going over. Not only does that region provide near continuous land between Thirteen and the Capitol — the only thing that prevents it from being fully continuous is a large patch of Wilderness; considering that rail lines go through there anyways, it's not exactly an obstacle, and I'm sure Command's already figuring out ways to secure it — but there's the fact that they can ensure that Coin's side stays self sufficient even if all the other districts turn against her. Nine supplies grain that's already relied on for basic consumption throughout the nation, and the land in Seven can easily be converted to food production. In Six's case, there's the lovely factual triple-whammy that this district of note is in charge of heavy industry and steel production, has direct access to resources, and is the most populous among all the other districts. Oh, then we get add to those facts that, once Six was secure, Thirteen immediately began commissioning the place to create weapons, munitions, and military vehicles; I would not be surprised that the logical conclusion to this, after the war, will be the immediate emasculation of Two via the shutdown of all its weapons' factories.

Yeah… to say that this isn't going to be easy is a slight understatement.

"Well, there's nothing like a challenge, eh?" quips Chaff while slapping me across the shoulder.

"Hooray…" I mutter back before asking about the accompanying one-ton gorilla in the room, "And then what about Thirteen itself?"

This time, Boggs doesn't hesitate in explaining, "The plan is that once the Capitol is taken, Coin is going to shift the majority of the population, including all of the civilians, west. District Thirteen will still remain, but it will be specialized as a secondary military outpost."

"'Secondary'?" asks Paylor.

"The primary base is to be at the former city of Palatine, which will allow the Capitol to be fortified much more effectively than the current configuration. And the tertiary bases will be the restored Nut as well as Camp Mockingjay."  _Wonderful…_  "So the best thing we can do is to cultivate sympathetic elements and hope a movement grows from there. Contrary to popular belief, Thirteen does have a sizable group that isn't too fond of their president's regime."

"Also," Fulvia chimes in, "we can probably get a movement rolling among the denizens of the Capitol."

"Only problem with that is the fact that the Capitolites are already going to be under suspicion," Paylor counters. "Do you seriously think they'll risk their neck for this? If what you've said is true, it was hard enough to get Capitol allies against Snow."

"We may not be able to get an actual uprising against her," Plutarch's assistant concedes, "but we'll probably be able to have those in the city figure out possible flaws in her system."

Our little conspiratorial group continues to go back and forth as we scheme. That is, until Chaff decides to bring up the last sticking point:

"You know… most of us probably won't survive this. Hell, some of us may get picked off in the very beginning."

Funny thing is… that point causes the least discomfort amongst us.

"That's likely so," notes Boggs, "but then again, we're not doing this for us. We're doing it for  _them_." To punctuate his statement, he tilts his head towards the window and then points at the display screens showing all those kids celebrating.

And this time, nobody argues.

~oOo~

I sometimes hate being right. Hell, I  _usually_  hate being right because the stuff I tend to predict tends not to bode well for anybody… except for those who really shouldn't be benefiting from… well… anything.

In this case, I hate being right about Peeta's unwillingness to kill Coin.

It's been about two-and-a-half years since that opportunity passed us by. Over two years, and I still remember everything in detail.

For just the briefest moment, as the boy confronted our esteemed president after the vote, I actually thought he was willing to go through with it. It was clear that he was taking in his surroundings and looking at potential weapons.

But then his eyes fell upon us. Then they fell upon Annie's belly. And if that was not enough to dissolve his resolve, the moment his eyes flitted to Katniss, I knew that there was no way that he was going to risk committing the assassination, even if he no longer cared about his own welfare.

The weird thing about recollecting the whole event is that the worst part wasn't the missed opportunity itself, despite all the unpleasantness that was heralded with Coin remaining alive. Rather it was witnessing the powerful expression of self loathing overtaking the boy's features as he watched said opportunity walk right out the door to take control of the nation. For some time, I honestly feared the possibility of finding him swaying from the end of a rope; hell, if it weren't for Katniss and the Hawthornes, I think such a thing could have easily happened.

And so, instead of taking the easy way out, he's done what we wanted for him to do. He's planned. He's made connections and ensured that the media spotlight remains favorable as long as possible. He's spent a good amount of time going through combat training — it wasn't easy, but we have managed to keep Camp Mockingjay and its soldiers sympathetic — and learning tactics, with Katniss there by his side. All the while he's maintained the image of a friendly and harmless baker.

Yep, he's doing everything we have wanted… and more.

We really are monsters.

Sometimes I wonder about some alternate universe where all those two kids don't have to worry about any scheming but could rather put all their energy into healing each other and simply growing together. Not that they haven't done the latter at all; their marriage this past spring was as genuine as could be, and not even having it televised for propo reasons could put a damper on their mood. But what I dream about is those kids not being obligated to concern themselves with politics for reasons of survival.

Because it's what they have to do right now; the fate of the others is testament to that.

Paylor's dead; shot by some unknown sniper. Plutarch and Fulvia are dead; things finally caught up with them, and they decided to bow out on their own terms rather than getting captured and leaking information from the likely torture. Boggs and his soldiers are fugitives, and I honestly don't know where they're at. The victors in Two are constantly looking over their shoulders, and Lyme has already had several assassination attempts from "unknown assailants". Central has gone back into its shell and is puttering along as usual; though considering the hatred Porus has for Coin right now — in terms of unpleasant memories that will forever stick with me, seeing the Commandant's formerly cheerful and energetic kid completely broken after the fight ranks up there with witnessing the aftermath of Twelve after a mine collapse — I think it's just a matter of when, not if, things finally fray between Central and the Capitol once again.

And then there's what's happening to the nation itself…

FUBAR is an understatement.

Of course, I'm not just allowed to muse upon the fact. Instead, I get to be reminded by my television turning itself on for mandatory viewing.

As the camera pans through the Capitol, I still find myself struck at how much has changed. I never thought I'd miss all that garishness and unnatural color but there's a part of me that actually does, especially considering what has replaced it after the reconstruction; now all of the buildings have been clad in gray, with the only interruption in that austerity being projections and banners exalting the power of the state and reminding the populace of their civic duty. Somehow, Coin has managed to transfer the blandness of Thirteen to that city; at some level, I'm actually a bit impressed.

In any case, all that fades when we settle on the crowded City Circle.

There are a lot of things about Coin that unnerve and anger me: from her attitude, to her policies, to all the people lost in her quest for power. However, nothing showcases her twisted nature as well as the sculpture in the middle to the circle:  _Triumph of Rebellion_.

On first glance, especially from a distance, there's nothing that disturbing about it; overbearing, yes, but not necessarily disturbing. It simply looks like a massive bronze sculpture of a man — supposedly it's modeled after the president's father, Jason Coin, in the prime of his youth — on a three-tier pedestal. The figure itself is over a couple hundred feet tall and poised towards the former Games Headquarters as if striding in that direction. While the right hand beckons, the left fist is held aloft and clenching thirteen blades as the  _Guiding Hand of Unity,_  the former symbol of Thirteen and the current symbol of this nation.

Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary about the second tier either, though it gives a good idea of Coin's values. Portrayed there are the  _Four Virtues_ , with each Virtue aligned in an intermediate compass direction.  _Loyalty_  is represented by a soldier and an official.  _Productivity_  has a factory worker and a farmer. A teacher — more accurately, a government approved instructor — showcases  _Purity_. And lastly,  _Sustainability_  is of a mother surrounded by children; this one has always creeped me out the most. All Virtues are also larger-than life — about three times the size of a regular person — and look forward with purpose. In this case, that purpose would be to banish the figures of the bottom tier… and that's when things truly become horrifying.

Enter the  _Four Treasons_ , each oriented under their respective opposing Virtue.  _Treason of the State_ : self-explanatory, with not just enemy combatants but general rabble-rousers and those who shelter traitors in general.  _Treason of the Community_ : the elite and "bourgeoisie", food hoarders, those who participate in "frivolous activities", etc.  _Treason of the Mind_ : teachers of non-approved ideas, subversive artists, and subscribers to superstition.  _Treason of Humanity_ : sexual and gender "deviations", as well as those afflicted by genetic disorders. All Treasons are represented by figures who're in the process of cringing away from the Virtues above them; what all of this represents is bad enough if not for the fact that, unlike the centerpiece and Virtue statues, these figures are  _real people_. Real people who have been found guilty by the state and executed before being pumped full of some compound that preserves their bodies and allows them to be posed in a way that makes them caricatures of themselves.

Behold… our fruit of the Rebellion.

Rejoice.

Anyways, before I can think too much on that as well, her Evil Bitchiness steps out onto the balcony of the Presidential Mansion — one of the few places that didn't get the gray makeover — to address the cheering crowd. After the introductory parade of districts where flags of Panem's constituents are marched past her and the anthem is played — another holdover from Thirteen — Coin begins her speech with the national flag as a backdrop; similar to Thirteen's old one, except the fist's now surrounded by a fourteen-rayed sun.

I tune out to focus on my liquor; after a while, all her speeches and most of the executions blend together.

It's only when I hear a screeching noise that I pay attention.

_No… they can't be…_

They are. Because as the camera pans back to the boulevard leading between the Mansion and Games Headquarters, I see the statue of the first victor of the Hunger Games festooned with ropes that are in the process of tearing it down. As it tips over with a crash, the second victor's statue follows right on its heels. Then the third… and so on.

While this occurs, Coin pontificates about a new era requiring us to move forward and leave the legacy of Games behind.

In other words: we victors have finally become irrelevant.

Then again, it was only a matter of time.

Let's just hope the boy's prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suffice to say, and as hinted by the title, this story may get a bit dark.  
> Also, unless stated otherwise, default POV is Peeta's.


	2. The Bakery and the Boy

"This fucking sucks…"

That muttered outburst accompanies the sounds of a ringing bell and stomping feet as the bakery gains a new occupant.  _Someone's in rare mood… again._

Despite finding some amusement out of the dramatic entrance, I still have to put my foot down. However, someone else beats me to it:

"Vick said a bad word!" bleats Posy. "Mama's not going to be happy about that."

And as usual, Beth parrots that statement. "Yeah; bad words is bad!" Okay, a close approximation and loose interpretation of that statement. While Posy may be currently sweeping the floor, my niece is just sitting at the window and seeing how big of a wall she can make with stale loaves of bread.

"You heard the girls," I chortle before looking up from the register. "Mom may be back at home, but that doesn't mean that she wouldn't be unhappy with the way you're talking."

Vick stops fidgeting with his neckerchief and manages to look sufficiently ashamed before exhaling a huff of air as he grabs his apron and begins arranging pastries by my side. "Sorry. It's just… why do I have to do…  _this_?" Just to emphasize his point, he pauses to gesture wildly at the Young Soldier uniform he's wearing.

"You know why."

Another exhale. "I know… I'm fourteen and all that," — On the upside, they did finally move the minimum conscription age up, though there's still a voluntary age of fourteen. On the downside, that's why the compulsory Young Soldier program was created: to fill the gap between ages fourteen and eighteen. Not to mention that they based it on Two's cadet program, all the way up to using the same dress code barring some changes in the emblem and color scheme. Go figure that for all the rhetoric against that district, the government still finds the time to adopt things from it. — "but it still seems like a waste of time. You know this isn't me."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with being in the Scouts," I note.

"That's because they were flexible on what we could choose to do. This…" Vick counters while scrunching up his face, "this is  _Rory stuff_."

Another chuckle escapes at that. "You know Rory doesn't like it any more than you."

"Maybe… but he sure as he-ck likes marching around in uniform. What kind of freak likes going through drills?"

"Your brother apparently."

It's actually a bit funny how Rory is an exercise in contrasts with Vick.

The most obvious place to start would be their builds. Considering that Vick's height already surpassed my own — something he doesn't hesitate in mentioning when the opportunity presents itself — it clear that he's sure to become as tall and lanky as Gale. Rory, on the other hand, doesn't look like he's going to get much taller than me and is a bit more on the stocky, yet still lean, side.

Then there're their respective foci. Maybe it was always his own interest or it could be due to his hero-worship of his eldest brother, but nobody can deny that Rory takes to the military atmosphere quite well; not to mention his proficiency with long-range firearms. Of course, he's also not an idiot and knows what the implication of serving under this government would be; if he really wants to enlist by the time he turns eighteen, I'll persuade Porus to allow him in. Vick, on the other hand, definitely has no interest in doing anything remotely military-related. Rather, to my pleasant surprise when I first found out, he's a natural in the kitchen and was actually able to make bread on his own within the first few months of us reopening the bakery.

On the flip side however are their demeanors. Like Gale, Vick has a bit of a short fuse; his little rant earlier is evidence of that. I sometimes fear that he's going to say something stupid and get himself — not to mention the rest of us — in trouble. Rory though… I don't think I've  _ever_  seen him lose his cool, and I've known him even before my Games. That's not to say that he doesn't become upset — key example of that being when Gale confessed to the family his role in creating those damn bombs — but there's never been a time where he's yelled or anything along those lines; I've actually had to teach him how to exaggerate his emotions so as to not disturb people too much.

Watching them debate is sometimes quite a source of amusement.

"He's now your brother too," Vick shoots back, jolting me from my musings. "It's not like you have a choice in the matter."

Even though I know that the comment is made in jest, it still makes me stop what I'm doing and stare at him.

In turn Vick actually notices my reaction, but must be misreading it, because he immediately freezes as well with wide eyes before stammering, "Peet, I-I didn't mean it like tha—"

I don't let my little brother finish that statement because I immediately wrap my arms around to pull him into a hug. Yeah, it's a bit spontaneous but, for some reason, feels appropriate right now.

"Even if I did have a choice," I murmur, "I wouldn't trade you all for anything in Panem."

Yeah, it's true that the Hawthornes aren't related to me by blood, and I'll never forget my family-by-origin for all their highs and lows. But ever since Gale first made his offer and everyone immediately accepted me, I can't imagine them as anything else but family.

Of course, there's an image that Vick needs to uphold to preserve his budding sense of masculinity, so he tries to squirm out of my grasp while muttering, "Yeah yeah… love you too. Save the hugs for Rory; you know those are his thing." However, my little brother is deluding himself if he thinks that I didn't notice his hesitation before the escape attempt or the split-second manner at which he returns the embrace.

Besides, it's not like he's allowed to leave before others decide to join in. "We love hugs too!"

Posy's squeal gives us just a split second of warning before she wraps her arms around our waists, and that's followed up with Beth clinging to both our legs. As there's no way for Vick to escape now, I shift my grip down to encompass my little sister and niece.

_Nope. Wouldn't trade them for anything…_

Finally we all let go, the girls scatter, and Vick stumbles back with the patented Seam scowl. So I just grin back and tousle his hair. Before I can make him anymore uncomfortable —  _Don't think I didn't miss that smirk either, Vick…_ — my little brother finally bats away my hand and asks, "So what now, Boss?"

"Well, you know you can't work with anything involving flour while wearing that," I explain while pointing at his uniform. "You may not like it, but you're still not going to get it dirty. Also…"

"Yeah, I know," he mutters under his breath with a sigh, "don't complain about the program in public."

Because the last thing we need is for Coin to have another reason to breathe down our necks. Camp Mockingjay may remain sympathetic as a whole — even with a good chunk of soldiers originating from Thirteen — but that doesn't mean there aren't likely to be plainclothes operatives wandering around here. It's hard enough to keep the bakery and our houses bugs-free, and I take a risk every time I go to the training field or meet with the commanders here. And now ever since her little Out-with-the-Old announcement a few weeks ago, it's clear that something's about to come up on the horizon.

Despite all of this, however, I push my worries away and keep my tone light to quip, "Glad you at listen at least a couple things I tell you." Another tousle is added before Vick can duck away. "How about you get some caramel going? I have a sheet of pastry dough ready, so we can make a peach tarte tatin to bring home and surprise everyone before Prim heads back. Sound good?"

And just like that, my little brother's mood immediately goes on an upswing, and it's as if his disposition was never in a foul state of being just minutes prior. "Sounds good!" he chirps and immediately gets to work measuring and mixing sugar and butter with the sort of enthusiasm that could only come from youth.

I really do imagine what it'd be like if we were actually able to hire him before… everything.

Before I can think too much, the bell chimes again, and a smile widens on my face as a boy rushes in. "Afternoon," I chirp. "What can I get you today? Or are you looking for Rory?"

Cohen's someone my brother considers to be a friend, and it's not just because they're in the same Young Soldier squad. From what I've seen, the boy  _is_  a good kid with an all-around friendly and kind demeanor — he helped me move stuff around when we were renovating the bakery for one— even though it's tempered a bit by his uptight and fidgety nature. It's still a bit strange that he actually hails from Two — I just call him by his last name as the first one's ridiculous to pronounce — considering that people rarely travel from the district due to Coin having it neutered; him being the surviving child of a now-late Head Peacekeeper just hammers home that strangeness.

In any case, I can't think on that at the moment because there's something else strange about the boy right now. Actually, as he rapidly strides towards me, I'm starting to be a bit concerned. It could be how his fidgeting is way more than usual, or how pale he looks as his eyes shift from side to side. By the time he's right at the counter, my concern unfurls into a sickly feeling of unease. "Hey… are you okay?"

For a moment, Cohen just blinks as if wondering why he's here and gulps a couple times before finally stammering, "M-Mr. Mellark, sir," — Did I mention that he's uptight? — "you need to get out of here."

Aand that's when the tendrils in said feeling of unease crystallize and morph into dread. "Come again?"

"You need to run, sir. Hide. Anything! They-they're co—"

Whatever he's planning to say next is interrupted by the bakery shaken by a loud boom. Panels shudder and a few precariously placed items topple to the ground. However, I don't pay attention to that as I run over to the still-rattling windows to look outside for the potential source… and I see it in the form of a thick black plume of smoke rising up in the distance; it looks like it's coming from the barracks. To my horror, the structure, which houses at least a thousand soldiers — hopefully most of them are out around this time — collapses inward on itself as a cloud of incandescent gas blossoms upwards, followed by a rippling shockwave that reaches us with an impact containing even more force than before.

_Oh no…_

That simple thought is vocalized as well, though it's not me who does so:

"Oh no, nononono…" The whimpers cause me to turn around to see that any remaining color in Cohen's face has completely drained away as he backs away while blinking rapidly, shaking his head, and running his hands through his hair in what looks like an attempt to clear his thoughts. "Please… no…"

 _It's finally happening, isn't it._  "Vick, take the girls to the cellar now." I don't know how, but my voice somehow manages to keep calm and even while issuing that order; I sure as hell don't feel calm right now.

Okay, in all honesty, I'm pretty fucking terrified. Preparing for and expecting the inevitable is one thing; actually having it happen is a whole other beast.

Fortunately, my brother doesn't even bother questioning my order or what's going on. Instead, he immediately plucks Beth off the ground and rushes to the door that leads downstairs. In the meantime, I attempt to call home.

_Come on… why aren't you picking up, Katniss? This is— Wait, where's Posy?_

"And where do  _you_  think you're going?"

My query causes Cohen to freeze mid-stride and pivot back to face me with wide eyes. "I-I can't be here right now."

Frustrated and worried by the lack of answer, and hoping that they at least have received the alarm I've just sent out, I toss my communicator down to stride towards the boy and grab him by the collar with a growl:

"What do you mean you can't be here? I need answers. How did you find out about this? Who did you hear it from?" At this point, I don't care if I sound harsh right now. All things considered, I'd say that would be the least of everyone's concerns, and if this boy had anything to do with what's happening…

For some reason, instead of answering my question directly, Cohen instead pushes a booklet into my free hand while muttering gibberish. "Hope this helps in some way… I'm sorry… should have told you sooner… didn't think they'd ac—"

"Hey, slow down." This time I do manage to soften my voice — somehow, the sight of the boy breaking down is enough to cause the initial wave of anger to ebb away — as I shift gears and my grip to clasp him on the shoulder. "That's why I want you here. So you can tell us now."

He simply shakes his head some more while continuing to ramble. "It's not safe… I'm not safe…"

"Don't worry." I'm probably telling myself that more than anyone else. "Just stay close. There are people who can protect you."

If anything though, the boy just seems to freak out further. "No that's not—"

"Peeta?" Posy's voice causes both of us to freeze on the spot, and fear creeps up my spine as I look down to see that she's standing right next to me. "What's happening?"

I'm about to tell Posy that she needs to run down to the cellar, when Cohen whimpers out a soft, "Too late…"

When I look back at him, the boy's not even bothering with the side-eye but now staring right out the window towards the opposite side of the street. There, at least ten armed youths are situated on motorcycles and a military utility vehicle… and they are in the process of raising their weapons.

_OH FU—_

However, before I'm able to say or do anything, I'm tackled and thrown to the ground as the sound of gunfire and breaking glass fills the air.


	3. Preparedness

 Almost exactly three years ago, when I was freed from the Quarter Quell arena, President Coriolanus Snow had my parents, brothers, and sister-in-law executed just because he wanted to send a message and break me. Right after that, the bakery was leveled when Romulus Thread was instituting his reforms to the district.

Then I returned. I rebuilt the bakery. I gained a new loving family. And I managed to marry the girl who I've looked up to most of my life. Despite the past war, despite all of the pain that has afflicted those who I care for, and despite the current tyrant in charge of the nation, at least I have been able to rebuild my life to something even better than before.

Except now there are people trying their damndest to tear everything back down.

It's because of things like this that sometimes I'm indeed convinced there is actually some great all-powerful cosmic being out there… and it hates me.

While I muse on that little fact of life and death, numerous splinters of wood and shards of glass cascade over and all around my prone form as a sharp overlapping rhythm of gunfire assaults my eardrums. When I look to the side, I can see that while Cohen's arm is still thrown around me, most of his body is curled around Posy. Despite how my sister's shutting her eyes tightly, she actually seems to be handling this relatively alright… relatively; the boy on the other hand, is trembling and looks on the verge of breaking down completely, even though he had just saved our lives and is still trying to protect us.

_Why didn't I initiate the measures sooner?_

Granted, I have no time to focus on mentally kicking myself if we're to have even the slightest chance of getting out alive. So I press a button on my wristwatch to see if the system we installed during the rebuilding process actually works.

It does, and almost immediately, a security gate comprised of armored hexagonal panels arranged in a tight-fitting curtain rolls down to cover the entire front of the bakery, muffling the gunfire and causing the sound of impacts to be reduced to something reminiscent of rain hitting corrugated roofing. The same time, reinforced louvers close over the side windows while locks whir into place to block the back door from entry. Despite this reprieve, I know that it's only a temporary measure; the panels on the grate can only sustain so much of an continued assault — there's definitely no sign of them relenting — and the people who want us dead probably have other stuff at their disposal to breach the perimeter.

Still, I'm going to take any reprieve that comes my way.

"Go, Posy, go!" I bark out. This time, Posy doesn't ask any questions and extricates herself from Cohen's grasp to run towards the back where Vick's just emerged from the cellar and is beckoning towards her. As he begins to usher our sister down the stairs, my brother looks at me with no small amount of tension-laden worry; however, due to other pressing concerns, I just wave him down with the assurance that I'll join them shortly.

So while Vick's making sure that the girls are safe and sound, I turn my attention onto the boy next to me. I guess that without either me or Posy to shield, he's seeing the moment as a go-ahead to curl up into an even tighter trembling ball than I'd even think possible. "Hey, come on… I told you that we'll keep you safe. Let's get down to the shelter." Keeping my voice even and soft, despite my current fraying nerves, I slowly reach out for the purpose of comforting Cohen and gently coaxing him from his spot.

However, the moment my hand touches the boy's arm, he flinches away from my touch as if I'm scalding hot, and even when I try to talk to him it's almost like he's utterly unaware of my presence. The only acknowledgement he gives is a repeated and garbled plea for me to run. I'm about to give up on simply asking him to get up and go — it shouldn't be too challenging to just drag him to the shelter — when I see something that raises the severity of the situation to alarming levels: because, other than the minor abrasions on his body received from falling to the ground and falling glass shards, there are several blossoming splotches of crimson slowly expanding to replace the gray of his uniform.

_Dammit, where's Prim when you need her?_

I can't tell how life-threatening any of these wounds are at this moment — They look like they're in non-critical areas, and there's no sign of that he's dying just yet, so that has to be a good sign… right? — but it's obvious that there's a good chance Cohen's going to be in a lot of trouble if he doesn't get help very soon; not to mention that this little update on the situation sort of invalidates my plan to simply drag him to safety. Still, I try to keep my panic from showing as I attempt to crudely patch up the wounds the best I can with the first aid kit — a bit difficult when he refuses to unfurl from that ball — and, despite his continued unresponsiveness, do the best to comfort him to the best of my ability.

"Don't worry… you're going to be alright. Help… help's on the way." Again, I'm probably telling myself this more than anything. "Just… stick tight and we'll make it through this. I'm not going anywhere." Vick's probably not going to be happy about the last part, but I have no intention of leaving this boy's side, especially since he just saved my life; also, I still need to ask him questions about what he knows about this mess that's happening right now.

In any case, it's not like I haven't managed to survive through harrowing situations before, and this time, I've actually prepared for something like this… somewhat. Okay, yeah, not going to deny that I'm still scared shitless at this moment. But there's no way I can let that affect how I handle the situation.

While I'm somewhat focusing on my attempt to play nurse, I keep an eye on my surroundings. Even though the windows are now blocked by the gate, images gathered from cameras at the front of the bakery are projected on the panels to give comprehensive real-time footage of the outside without the assailants being able to look in; granted, some of the panels are already starting to short-out from the continued onslaught but there's still enough for me to get a good idea of what I'm up against.

I currently count eleven gunmen — eight out in the open, two inside of the utility vehicle, and one at the vehicle's turret — and, despite none of them looking like they're out of their teens, it's clear that I'm not just dealing with a inexperienced kids shooting off guns for the hell of it. This can be seen in the way they are concentrating their fire on the gate at key points in an attempt to weaken it as well as how the ones at the edges have set up barricades and are focused on suppressing fire against security forces trying to dislodge them; it vaguely occurs to me that the ones in the open are set up in two fire teams. Not to mention that it's clear that the attack on the barracks was most likely for the purpose of the diverting attention.

Before I can figure something out to counter this however, I'm jolted from my observations by a voice that I really don't want to hear right now: "What the hell is taking you?"

Fueled by no small amount of panic right now, I whirl to face Vick and bellow, "Get back down to the shelter!"

In true Hawthorne fashion however, Vick isn't cowed but simply sets his jaw and yells back, "Not until you join us!"

"You know I can't." Because if I don't do anything and they end up breaching the defenses, the shelter will only buy just a little more time; considering that the security forces don't seem to be making any headway. So I may have to progress to some aggressive protocol measures.

And that's when my brother face gets that look on his face that precedes him saying something really…  _really_ … stupid. "Then let me fight!"

_Now_  he wants to fight. After rebuffing a lot of things like marksmanship and martial arts training, now this kid wants to get involved. I could debate with Vick about how his lack of experience will cause more harm than good, but it's not exactly the best moment to do so. "VICK HAWTHORNE, YOU GET BACK DO—… The hell…"

This time, it's not a form of noise that just interrupted me, but rather the lack thereof. Sure enough, my ears are no longer assaulted by that pitter-patter of bullets impacting the armored gate. However, considering that there's still the muffled report of suppressing gunfire, it's only likely a brief reprieve; so I will have to take advantage of this the best I can if I'm to deal with these seven assai—…  _son of a bitch._

I have to recount just to make sure, but sure enough, four of the gunmen are missing. Considering the lack of dead bodies in the group, it's unfortunately not due to them being taken out. So that gives two options: either they decided to flee… or they've split off to try something new. My level of panic rises even further as it's not hard to figure out what it is they are going to attempt.

So without any further ado, I reign in my voice and say, "You want to help? Look after the girls. If something's to happen to me—"

"Peet… don't-don't talk like that." As Vick speaks, I don't miss the tremor that's creeping into his voice; I'm not going to fault him for it, and all things considered, he's actually keeping it together quite well.

Despite the current danger around us, I walk over to him and clasp my hand on his shoulder. "I don't intend on going down, period. But sometimes we have to prepare for possibilities, as horrible as they may be. So I'm counting on you, okay?"

Instead of verbally answering me, Vick just looks up to make eye contact with me, sets his jaw, and gives a firm nod. So in response, I wrap my arms around my brother — this time, he doesn't resist but immediately hugs back — and tousle his hair while murmuring, "Just know that I love you."

"You too…" he mutters back before breaking the embrace and running back down into the shelter.

After the making sure that the door downstairs has shut properly, I walk back over to Cohen who still hasn't shifted from his fetal position or ceased attempts at blocking outside stimuli. Fortunately he fell near the counter, which should help give some partial shelter; however, just to be on the safe side, I carefully nudge him — thank goodness for flour covered floors; the broken glass is something to be less grateful for, but it's mostly swept out of the way — into the corner and move a table over him. The whole time, my eye is kept on the security feeds; while the front shows no change, I now see that the previously-missing four have gathered outside the back door and look like they are in the process of planting a charge.

Despite his continued unresponsiveness, I look down at the boy to say, "Don't worry. I won't let them get you." My gaze then shifts to the way to the shelter. "I won't let them get any of you…"

So with little time to spare, I go back behind the counter, reach down underneath the register, and retrieve the next measure: a loaded double-barrel shotgun. My marksmanship may still be a bit piss-poor, even after a couple years of training, but I know how to wield a firearm well enough. And considering the nature of shells…

Don't get me wrong; I still abhor the idea of violence and killing, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep those close to me safe. And if that means ending the life of someone trying to challenge that, so be it.

_Hopefully everybody back home is doing alri—_

_Can't afford to think about that right now._  As much as it pains me, I have to just trust in the idea that Katniss has already set up precautions and is able to handle defending everybody back at home until help finally arrives. So I shake my head to clear my thoughts, turn the safety off, and take a few deep steadying breaths as I crouch down with my back to the wall next to the entrance to the back room. And as I look at the footage of the back — now they are moving away from the door — and front, I actually do allow these thoughts to come to the surface:

_Do you think I'm scared of you all? I've been through two Games and a war, which allows me to make this judgment: you all may be trying to play soldier, but you're nothing more than a pack of bullies. Well guess what, I've dealt with bullies all my life, and after a while, they're all the same at their own little rotten core. You're no different, and I'm ready to triumph over you like all the rest. And after this… I'm going to find out who sent you and make them wish they've never been born. So come and get me, assholes._

As if in answer, the air of the bakery is immediately filled with the sudden sound of explosives going off accompanied by screeching metal and a thud signifying the back door being knocked down. The perimeter has definitely just been breached.

_Game on._


	4. Measures

In the immediate aftermath of the perimeter being breached, an almost palpable silence settles over the bakery — even the sounds of gunfire from the front seem to fade away, and the boy's ragged breathing has evened out — giving a sense of eerie calm in the process. However, I know that said calm is only the prelude to a really nasty storm, and it's simply a case of each side waiting with bated breath for the other to make a move.

So I use this brief moment to take out Measure No.3, all the while keeping my ears out for the slightest aberration in the current quietude. And soon enough, that aberration comes in the form of a crunch of a shoe meeting debris, as well as the slight creak of the floorboard under pressure, and it's sufficient as any to serve as a signal to commence.

So without further warning, I pivot on my right foot to whip around the corner and let of the first salvo. Due to the cloud of dust kicked up from the perimeter breach, I can't really see anything and don't even bother to aim; however, with the pull of the trigger, a clap of thunder is followed by a cry let out and the vague silhouette of a form toppling to the ground seems to hint that I at least got a partial shot in.

It vaguely occurs to me that this likely the first time I'm directly taking a life, but I don't have time to think upon that fact as I pivot back behind the wall before a hail of gunfire is released in the general direction of where I was just at. What those gunmen don't seem to have notice is that, right before I took the shot itself, I made sure to roll a little gift towards them in the form of the third measure: a flashbang grenade.

As I hunker down, I plug my fingers into my ears and squeeze my eyes shut; even with that precaution, the ear-splitting report is still almost overpowering to the senses, and a corner of my eyelid-obscured vision goes briefly white. In the meantime, the gunfire has ceased from this end; in its place is an overlapped and shouted string of cursing, as well as uneven staggered footsteps mixed in with the sound of walls and furniture being bumped into. Oh and one of those footsteps is coming closer.

Thus it's time to issue Measure No.4, and with a press of a button on the wall — there are several at key points just in case, and they are only able to be activated when the first measure is issued — a wire is lifted out from between the floorboards to be set at ankle-height in the doorway. It's not exactly the sturdiest precaution put it place, and it snaps once the half-blinded intruder crosses the threshold, but it still does its job.

The gunman trips and topples in a sprawling heap as his gun clatters to the floor and slides away, and without the slightest bit of hesitation I raise my own gun to aim. As I do so, the kid turns to face my way — it occurs to me that he can't be any older than Rory, but I immediately force that thought down — and his vision must be good enough because realization sets in on his features as he raises a hand to scream, "WAIT—"

Another clap of thunder drowns out the exclamation, and an expression of wide-eyed terror is illuminated for just a small fraction of a second before turning into a cloud that paints the near section of the room in a rain of crimson and pink.

While the body collapses and twitches, I don't have time to dwell on what I just done; hell, I don't even have time to reload. Because, even as I eject the spent shells, it turns out that I have company… and they look a bit pissed. So it's time to get a little hands-on.

With the shotgun held ahead and perpendicular to me as a shield, I lunge forward. This time, the two kids in front of me are close together and practically back-to-back; normally, this would give them a greater collective range of vision and firing area, but as they are still disoriented, it provides me with a key opportunity. So as I crash into them, I manage to knock one down to the ground so that her head hits the doorframe; from the groan, it's not enough to take her out for good, but what matters is the integral seconds obtained from this to deal with the other guy of note. Said guy has not been taken to the ground but instead is merely shoved against the wall as I try to throttle him with my shotgun while keeping his SMG from being pointed at any part of my body. At this moment, he's trying to a— _AACK!_

Fucker just kneed me in the balls…

Maybe it's because of a collection of all my experiences — from wrestling, to the Games, to teaching wrestling to someone who does nothing but fight dirty — throughout the years, but somehow I don't curl up into a gasping fit despite the spots swimming before my eyes. However, it's still enough to give the intruder enough of a window to push me back so that I'm now against the counter, and I have to drop the shotgun to put all my focus on keeping that SMG from—  _SON OF A BITCH!_

New fact of the day: having a gun fire next to your ear sucks. Same goes for a stream of spent ammo cascading upon your face.

Still, I manage to have the gun aimed away until the only thing I can hear is a slight ring in my right ear that has just compounded the previously-fading ringing from the flashbang. Just for that, I kick my assailant in the shin… with my left leg. Upon contact slight crack is heard followed by a howl of pain, and in that moment, I get an idea and use that opportunity to shove past him — in the process my elbow is added to his face — to make a beeline straight for the stove. I don't even check on the status of the contents in the pan on the still-active burner; I just grab said pan by the handle, take a quick glance to see if the assailant is facing me — he just turned to my direction and is reaching for a spare magazine of ammo — and swing my arm out to let loose the pan's contents in his direction.

Vick tends to overestimate his measurements quite a bit whenever he makes anything sugar-based, be it icings, fillings, or caramel. Fortunately for me, today is no different —  _How much butter and sugar did he put in there? I was only going to make one pie, not the entire inventory of a candy shop._  — and the solution is early enough in its caramelization process to be released from the pan as a golden arc and splatter against the gunman, with the majority hitting his face; unfortunately for him, his eyes are wide open at the time.

Let me tell you something: sugar burns hurt like a bitch. Not only are you getting something akin to boiling water on your skin, the stuff also sticks there like culinary napalm. Suffice to say, getting a liberal coating of caramelizing sugar on your eyeballs probably results in an express trip to a really unpleasant experience.

Yeah… judging from the screams emanated as he crumples to the floor where he writhes around while trying to dislodge the compound — already it's starting to deform and blister his skin as well as… um… whatever's left of his eyes — this kid's definitely not having a good time. And for the briefest moment, all do is simple stare at the scene — the worst thing is that I still don't feel anything about what I just done, beyond the horrifying nature of the maiming itself; granted I'm not sure how long that will last — as the remaining intruder, who has just recovered, rushes to his side; pragmatism states that I should just finish this right now while she's distracted, but I don't have the heart to so.

So as those screams fade into groans and whimpers, so fades the window of opportunity. And as the girl whirls upon me with her gun and a hateful expression — honestly, I find it a bit hypocritical all things considered — I realize that I didn't even use the time to grab ammo, and I'm definitely too far away to go close-quarters. So all I can do is grab the sugar jar, chuck it with the intention of beaning her, and use the distraction to dive for… dammit, it's a bit hard to find cover where I am, and I should have jumped  _over_  the counter.

That's when, as a string of shots go over my head and sends shards and splinters raining down upon me, a save comes from an unexpected source… and one who really shouldn't be out here right now.

I don't know how he got back up and snuck up behind her without being noticed by either of us, but at this moment, Vick is hanging on with an expression of determined fury as he has his apron wrapped around the intruder's face as a combination of blindfold and restraint; no matter how much she struggles to try to throw him off her back, he keeps a firm hold.

Unfortunately, my brother's upper hand doesn't last long, as the intruder runs backwards to slam against the wall. I can hear the air being forced out of Vick's lungs in one rush, and he lets go to crumple to the floor in a grasping heap. So after throwing down the apron with no small amount of frustration, the girl glares at her most recent attacker and—

_DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE YOU BITCH!_

I don't know where I get the energy from when I launch myself at the intruder; in all frankness, and as my vision clouds, it doesn't really matter. What I know is this: from the moment this bitch raised her gun to point it at my brother, any trace of empathy that I might have felt when she was at her comrade's side has evaporated.

The bitch barely has time to notice my approach and begin facing me when I slam the base of the pan into the side of her face. The pan is still hot enough that, as I pull back for another swing, chunks of skin stick to it and provide a bit of resistance for a fraction of a second before being torn off. I don't give her a chance to scream as I bring the pan down upon her skull again and again… and again…

_ALL… YOU… FUCKS… LEAVE… MY… FAMILY… ALONE!_

I don't know how long I go at it — actually, everything is almost as if it's shrouded in a haze — but I don't stop until I hear my name being cried out and feel something light bounce off my forehead. It's enough to derail my current train of thought, and my vision clears to reveal Vick in front of me — granted, there's a couple meters between us — with his eyes wide and hands held forward in placation. "Uh… Peet, I… I think you're done."

His gaze shifts downward, and I follow it to see that he's looking at my hands and the improvised weapon I was just wielding; turns out that I had shifted the pan in my hands so that the handle could be used as a bludgeon. When I look down further at the body in front of me, I'm presented with my handiwork. Just like that, all of the energy had been flowing through me ebbs away to leave me utterly drained. Even with the remaining assailants still active out front — though a couple look like they have been taken out — I just don't feel like doing anything right now.

_How twisted have I become these past few years?_

I know that I' m probably going to ask myself that a lot later, but still now's not the time. So, after making sure Cohen's still alive and as I rock backwards to take a seat on the floor, I try to keep my focus on my brother while asking something fairly important:

"Did you just bean me with a loaf of bread?"

"Well, it looked like someone needed to snap you out of it, but I sure as hell wasn't going to get within arms-reach," Vick notes — pretty smart move on his part — before shaking his head. "Honestly, has anybody told you that you can be pretty scary sometimes?"

"Actually, they have." I can't help but think of what Gale called me when we were taking back this district. Despite the nostalgia, I release a regretful sigh. "I really wish you didn't see that."

It's clear that he's rattled by what he just witnessed — or the whole thing, judging by the way his eyes are flitting to the other bodies — but instead of affirming that, Vick gives what I suspect he thinks is a lackadaisical shrug while saying, "It's not like I haven't seen the Games… or a ton of Peacekeepers wiped out brutally by Central. This isn't too different." Despite his attempts at brushing everything off, the crack in my brother's voice betrays how he really feels. However, I know that it's probably that combination of pride and denial which is the only thing allowing him to keep it together, and for his sake, I'm not going to jeopardize that.

The thing is… there  _is_  a difference between watching a broadcast and actually witnessing something happen in person, no matter how high of a definition that broadcast may be; it's one of those things that I suspect allowed the Capitolites to be completely detached from reality during their support of the Games. And while those in Twelve are no strangers to death, there's still also a difference between the usual occurrence in this district and what I just did.

Part of me wants to admonish Vick for not following my direct orders and almost getting himself killed in the process; hell, if he wasn't careful,  _I_  could have accidentally hurt him. However, another part knows that without his intervention, I'd likely have several bullets within me. In any case, and before I can say anything, he beats me to the punch: "I made sure Beth and Posy were safe where they were and locked the door behind me." That my brother takes that into consideration without me even bringing it up is something I'm grateful for. That's when he fidgets and looks at me with such apologetic earnestness that any previous desire to admonish him abates. "I'm sorry, Peet. I know that I was supposed to wait downstairs, but hearing what was happening… I-I just couldn't… You could have… I—"

"—don't have to say anything," I finish with a smile. "We'll probably talk about this later, but right now, I'll just say thanks for saving me in more ways than one. Seriously, you did good."

The last few words of my statement is enough to enough to make Vick perk up a bit. However, his eyes widen in alarm as he points at the right side of my face and exclaims, "You're bleeding!"

Sure enough, when I raise my hand to where he's pointing at, I feel a parallel and wet set of superficial gashes along my cheek, as well as the wreck that used to be a perfectly intact right earlobe; it dimly occurs to me that it's a result of the SMG's firing. Still, despite how much of a mess I probably look, I try to assure Vick that it's no issue at all; he doesn't buy it and, with a concerned expression, stands up to trudge my way.

"Stay there. I'll—"

My brother doesn't get to finish his sentence.

Because the moment he crosses in front of the doorway, several bullets tear through him.


	5. Real or Not Real

"VICK!"

The scream forces itself out of my lungs to join the splinter of wood and droplets of blood suspended in the air. All the while, I can see the concern on Vick's face shift to something resembling perplexity as his purposeful stride morphs into a haphazard stumble; the forward momentum can only carry him so far before his legs give out and he collapses into my arms.

_No no no… Why didn't you listen to me? Why didn't you stay down in the shelter?_

I should try to find and root out the remaining threat, but the only thing I can focus on right now is the set of bullet holes scattered across my brother's midsection. Despite the fact that his heart hasn't been hit, nor does he seems to be bleeding out severely, there's no denying that things are serious and will have the potential to get worse if we don't get help soon; the frustrating thing is that the first aid kit is still on the other side of the counter. Still, Vick looks more confused than anything as he blinks up at me.

"Hey, Peet?"

Even as I carefully scoot back to as much as a secure spot as possible while cradling his body, Vick's query is enough is to jolt me from my worries and focus on him. "Yeah?"

"You were right…" he rasps with a weak grin, "Being shot sucks."

I can't help it. Despite everything, I can't help but bark out a laugh at that statement. It's a scared and hoarse laugh that probably sounds more like a sob, but it's a laugh nonetheless. For someone who likes to complain all the time, Vick always has this uncanny ability to lighten any situation.

"Yeah, it does. But you're going to be alright. Just a few more minutes, and help's going to be on the way. Just… just hang in there."

Vick nods a bit at my request, but I can tell the pain is finally starting to get to him considering how pale and clammy he's become, or how he's gritting his teeth as his breath comes in short ragged gasps. Of course he's not going to admit that; yet what he does admit takes me by surprise though and not in a good way: "Peet… I-I'm scared."

The only response I can give to his statement is to brush his hair back and take his neckerchief off to utilize as an improvised bandage over some of the more serious-looking wounds. "That's okay. It—"

An uneven sound of footsteps from the backroom is enough to silence me and sends my already alerted senses to go haywire. As it gets closer, I make sure the ground is clear before setting Vick down underneath the counter and maneuvering myself so that I'm positioned in front of him; anybody who is planning to get to him is going to need to get to me first, and I still don't plan on going down easily. My brother definitely knows what I'm intending as he raises a whole assortment of quiet protests, but I simply knowledge it by keeping one of his hands firmly in my grasp.

It turns out that my shot in the very beginning didn't kill the first intruder as I originally thought. However, it's clear that it did quite a number on him; much of the right side of his body looks like it's been reduced to ground meat and his right arm hangs uselessly at his side as he limps into view with his SMG clutched in his left hand in an unsteady manner. What is even more noticeable is the consistent string of muttered gibberish — I can't decide whether to be angry or scared at what I'm able to decipher — and the crazed look in his eyes. And that's when he spots me.

"Ah, there you are…" Great… he also speaks as crazy as he looks. The gunman takes the time to glance around the ruins of the bakery, as well as the bodies strewn about, before sending a wide and maniacal grin my way to tut in a singsong manner: "You've been a baaad boy,  _Peet_."

"Only my family and friends have the right to call me that, you sick fuck," I snarl while still making sure that Vick's shielded to the best of my ability.

In the short term, it probably seems futile, and more than likely I'll be killed or incapacitated in the process; however, the time bought by doing this could mean essential moments given for friendly forces to break through, eliminate the enemy, and give my brother the help he needs. I know that it's because of this inevitability of me being downed that I should probably just rush the intruder and try to down him in turn; however, there's too much risk involved with that considering how the gun is directly trained on me, even considering how unstable the aim is. If I simply end up getting myself killed without getting a hit in, all I'd be doing is squandering those precious moments.

Unfortunately, the enemy seems to know this as well as he doesn't seem to be particularly cautious in his approach, and a pout is given at my statement as he limps ever closer. "Aww… so we're not buddies? Pity." The smile returns in full force when he peers over my shoulder. "Ah, so it seems I didn't do that little shit in completely. Just a well; I still have more than enough time to enjoy myself a bit. Because once I cripple you, you're going to get a front-row seat as I…  _get to know_  him better."

I don't know how I keep myself planted, but I stay where I am despite the waves of fear and rage that threaten to consume me, and my grip on Vick's hand tightens further.

"Stop dicking around and just kill them," comes a croak, which causes me to look for the source to see that the guy I burned is… not necessarily recovered but somewhat aware of his surroundings, despite the currently melted nature of his face and eyes— nevermind, it looks like one of those eyes is still somewhat viable.

That just causes my would-be torturer to turn upon his colleague to say, "No. After all of this, I think I'd rather have some fun." By this time, he's looming almost over me.  _Just a little closer…_ However, before I can take advantage of him getting within kicking distance, he stops and allows his grin to become even more crazed than before. "Oh yeah… This is definitely going to be fun."

Well, the intruder doesn't get to have his fun. Because right as he tries to focus his aim at my kneecap, a hand clamps down on his wrist and reminds both of us that there's one other person here that we've forgotten about. The gunman's expression of annoyance at the interruption barely has a chance to change to actual terror before he's yanked to the side to slam onto the countertop.

"No, stop! STOP! DON'T! PLEA—AAI—"

I don't know what is happening, and don't intend on getting a close look, but what I can hear is the pleas of the gunman shift to a strangled scream… immediately before a horribly familiar rending sound turns accompanies said scream's transformation into a gurgle; what I can see however is, at that scream-to-gurgle point, the body go from flailing to twitching on the countertop. Vick and I only have time to exchange glances with each other — despite his condition, I'd say my brother's more focused on looking as completely freaked-out as I feel right now — before something wet lands right next to me. As I stare at the object, Vick decides to whisper what I'm trying not to comprehend:

"Is that… is that a  _windpipe_?"

I've seen a lot of things. Hell, it terms of sheer messiness as to what can happen to the human body, there are much worse things that I've personally seen than someone's crushed and torn trachea lying several feet away from its host body. However… the circumstance of said tracheal detachment succeeds in raising the level of horror in this situation several notches, especially as I'm trying to comprehend that the individual responsible is who I think it is.

As the twitching in the gunman's body gradually ceases, his burned colleague looks like he's already comprehended what's up, because he immediately starts trying to crawl away with as much as an expression of fear that can be emoted on that disfigured visage. As he's doing that, I can hear the sound of footsteps move along the bakery; unlike the rapid or irregular footfalls heard throughout the assault, there's a steady and almost metronomic quality to them that unnerves me even further and causes me to make a shushing motion to Vick.

And the moment the owner of said footsteps rounds the corner into my field of vision, the level of horror finally hits wolf mutt levels.

When I was shot, I was partially incapacitated for a couple days, even though my coat ended up preventing the bullet from entering my body; same went for Gale when he had his run-in with Romulus Thread. However, a state of incapacitation could be the furthest from the truth as Cohen takes his casual strides over. Even though portions of his shirt and shorts have become so saturated with blood that they continuously drip spots along the floor, he doesn't show the slightest sign of discomfort or movement impediment.

Actually, the absolutely disturbing thing is that he's not showing the slightest sign of… anything really. In place of what I've usually seen that boy exhibit — a fidgety yet ultimately good-natured demeanor — is a stoic determination that's practically inhuman, be it seen in his movement or facial expression. But, the worst change is probably seen in his eyes: no longer are they shining with bright amber and warm earnestness; instead, within a stare of unblinking intensity, the pupils have dilated to the point of reducing that amber to an almost-imperceptible ring of gold surrounding a dark void.

It's not just that the boy seems like a different person. If anything, it's almost as if he's become a machine to be taken control o— _OH SHIT!_

Welp… it turns out that the burned intruder is no longer going anywhere; because after taking a cursory glance at him, Cohen releases a burst from the SMG into the guy's skull with the sort of offhanded casualness you'd expect from flicking a speck of dust from under a nail.

However, right on the heels of pulling the trigger, said casualness briefly seems to be replaced by an expression of confusion, and the boy looks back at the body with a quick shake of the head and no small amount of conflict overtaking him. Despite being freaked out earlier, I can't help but slowly rise to ask, "Hey… are you alright?"

Wrong move.

Because the moment those words leave my mouth, Cohen snaps his head to the side to focus that stare at me, and his features smooth back into impassivity… right before he aims the gun at my head.

If it weren't for the fact that the thing's either empty or jammed, my brains and skull fragments would likely be scattered throughout the bakery. Still, just that click of the trigger being pulled, plus the obviousness that wasn't just him mistaking me for one of the intruders, is enough to send my blood draining from my face and a whole frenzy of questions to arise.

I mean, it just doesn't make sense. Even ignoring the fact that he seemed like a decent kid up to this point, why would he bother to warn me about the plot, save me in the beginning of this assault, and take out the remaining intruders, only to try to kill me later within a short amount of time? Whose side is he on? It's as if some switch has gone off in the boy's head to turn him into a kill-everything-that-moves mode; to say nothing of the accompanying demeanor. That's when cold realization creeps up my spine when I recall how he was saying that it was not safe for him to stay in the bakery; I thought it had to do with his own safety, but could he have been meaning that he's the danger?

Thing is… right now all those questions rushing through my mind don't matter. Because what does matter is that, whatever the reason and whether it's voluntary on his part, Cohen's a threat that needs to be at least kept away from Vick. So as the boy starts to examine the gun to figure out what's wrong, I launch myself forward and slam into him.

Even as he hits the ground and the gun goes clattering away, Cohen's reaction is almost instantaneous as he plants his feet under my belly and kicks upwards. I'll admit that I'm not the lightest person in the word — it's all muscle — but that kick still manages to send me flying several feet up, and I still have just enough forward momentum from the tackle to continue to careen forward to tumble into the wall. Despite my aching muscles, I don't waste any getting to my feet, but before I can stand up, the boy grabs one of the fallen intruders and actually throws the body at me. Granted, it may have been the smallest one, but a body's still a body; so, while it knocks the wind out of me as I'm bowled over, nothing's injured to badly. As Cohen stands back up, I see the ballistic knife on the belt of the intruder lying on top of me, grab it, and press a trigger to send the blade flying towards the boy's midsection.

_I—WHAT THE HELL?_

While I still didn't want to kill him, I was at least hoping that my actions would have at least hindered Cohen's movement; no such luck. Because all he does is pause, look at the blade buried in his stomach, yank it out, and flick it back in my direction without the slightest display of pain. I'm barely able to anticipate the movement and prop up the intruder's body as a shield as the projectile comes my way; I actually can feel the thud of the blade hitting its target, and I know that without this shield it would have probably found a home in my throat.

I don't have time to breath of sigh of relief at not being perforated yet though. As the boy strides over, I notice that his stoicism seems to begin to gain a quality of quiet fury, and I have only a fraction of a moment, as he lifts his foot up, to roll to the side when it's brought back down with a bone-crunching stomp; it's the corpse's bones that crunch underneath that applied force, not mine.

This time, I do manage to stand up completely and get my bearings straight; so when Cohen lunges for me, I grab a fistful of spilled flour and hurl it into his eyes, which causes him to stumble and gives me an opening — his left fist still glances off my face and is enough to leave a shimmery blotch in my vision — to sidestep around so he ends up rushing past me… to crash onto the still-active stovetop. As I back up toward the front space of the bakery, I'm aware of the scent of burning fabric and hair, and when the boy steadies himself and turns around to face me, I can see that he landed on the burner with his right hand; much of it is now peeling and even charred in places, and the braided bracelet around his wrist — I remember Rory making it for him — is still on fire along with several patches on his shirt. But like everything else that came before, he pretty much treats the flames as a minor nuisance at best to be casually patted away. Granted, he doesn't seem to be pleased with how one of his arms has been rendered useless, and now when he approaches me, he does so in a relatively cautious manner. And so as the two of us being to circle each other, I decide to take advantage of this lull to both scope out my settings and try something that's probably very stupid…

I try to reason with him.

"Come on," I plead, "snap out of it. This isn't you." Of course, since I've known this kid in the most negligible manner and just as short of a period of time, there's always a chance that  _this_  is the real him; however, my gut tells me that isn't so, despite the high likelihood this isn't the first time he's gone into this sort of state.

My words show no sign of getting through to the boy, but I don't relent: "If this is the real you, then why did you save Posy? Why did you save  _me_? Why did you try to warn us in the first place?" That's when I decide to hold my hand up and keep them that way. "Look, I'm no threat."

This time, the gesture seems to take Cohen aback because he begins blinking and shaking his head again, and I can see some of that color returning in flashes as his eyes contract and dilate again.

That's as good of a cue as any to press on: "I was trying to defend myself before. But right now, I just want to help. After this, you can help me and Rory rebuild it just like before. Don't you want that?" By now confusion dominates in full as he clutches at his hair. "You saved our lives in more ways than one. Don't think this changes that."

I finally see the contingency I need and position myself accordingly. It would be risky in more ways than one, and I hate myself for considering it, but if worst comes to worst, it's the most effective option there is; let's hope it doesn't come to it. Especially since it looks like I'm finally getting through when the boy looks at me with gritted teeth and anguished eyes holding fluctuating pupils. "I… I…"

 _Yes. Come on…_  "You can fight it. Fight it. You can do this."

He can't.

Those eyes finally settle back to a dilated state and Cohen's features once again becomes more or less devoid of expression. That is… except for the feral snarl he wears.

When the boy charges at me, I can't help but sigh in defeat and mutter a small, "I'm sorry."

Right as he reaches his hand out for my neck, I duck to utilize one of my old wrestling moves and send him careening over into the gate. He's barely able to get back onto his knees — he may not be able to feel pain, but that doesn't change the fact as to how much of a loss one hand can be in movement — when I slam his head into the gate, reach over from behind, grab the ends to his neckerchief, and turn it around to begin throttling him with it. As suspected, even with the loss of that arm, Cohen's nearly impossible to control as he gets back up and tries to buck me off his back. However, despite the half-foot-plus of height he has on me, I manage to keep a firm hold as we get closer to my destination: the manual motor for the gate. Finally, we reach that point, and I don't waste any time in activating the motor the raise the gate — like I said, it's risky in more ways than one, but it looks like our side has just taken out the last of the assailants — and feeding the ends of the neckerchief into the motor's gears.

Just in time, because right as I push back, the boy uses his functional hand to punch me in the face and send me careening to the desk; luckily, Throatless' body is there to cushion my impact. As I clear the stars from my eyes and spit out a mouthful of blood — I'm going to need to probably check on a couple of my teeth — I can hear the motor sending out a squealed series of protests before finally seizing up completely. Out of precaution, I grab a serrated knife to hold in a guarding manner, but it's clear that this point, Cohen's more focused on the piece of cloth that's currently strangling him than on attacking me; even after he figures out to press the reversal button, it's clear that there's no budging considering the way the fabric is likely tangled around the gears. So I just stand back and watch as he struggles, and as his growls gain a wheezing quality.

It's then that I notice how frantic the boy's struggling becomes, or how he looks at me with panic-stricken and increasingly-bloodshot eyes that have regained their color. That's when he reaches out to me with his burned hand in a plea as tears begin rolling down his cheeks.

Should I help? He seems normal now, but I can't be sure that he won't revert back once freed; if he does, there's a good chance he'll be able to overpower me. Besides, logic dictates that this is too high of a risk for someone I don't even know that well and could possibly be too far gone anyways in terms of injuries.

Well logic can go blow me.

So, without any second guessing, I rush forward with the knife — I can see a bit of fear briefly flash on his face, but there's no sign of pupil dilation — and begin sawing away at the fabric. The moment I finally saw all the way through, Cohen collapses to the floor before curling back up into a ball as his body is wracked with quiet sobs. Yeah, the boy's definitely no longer a threat, and so I pat him atop the head while murmuring, "It's alright… you're safe now…"

However, I have other priorities at the moment and quickly grab the first aid kit off the ground before rushing back behind the counter.

When I get back to Vick, it's clear that he's much paler than before. Still, he answers my return with a muttered, "Took you long enough."

I can't help but snort at that I work on applying a salve and actual bandages. "I was a bit busy."

"Could tell…" A small bit of concern crosses my brother's features. "He alright?"

"About as alright as any of us can hope to get."

"Guess that works." A minute seems to pass before Vick says, "Peet…"

I don't like the way he says my name, so I pour more focus on the first aid. But my brother seems to sense my deliberate lack of attention to what he has to say because he's a bit more forceful when he speaks again:

"Peet."

And I can't ignore him forever. "Yep?"

"Don't want to die…"

My stomach can be felt twisting at that statement, but I keep the sensation down. "You're not going to die," I assure him before attempting a smile. "Besides, I don't know how to sing."

"Oh like hell… last moments… gonna be you singing," Vick retorts with a grin. Again, I can't help laugh at that despite the fear that claws at me from the implications at his words. "Still… didn't let me finish." That short burst of levity is just that, however: short. And I try to ignore how obvious it is as to how much trouble he's having speaking.

"I didn't let you finish what?"

"Don't want to die… but  _do_  want you to know… I have no regrets." Vick may be weak in his current state, but he still gives me a glare of defiance that matches any Gale can give.

"Wouldn't expect anything else." Somehow, my smile comes easily to me this time as I tousle his hair.

"Want you… to tell Ma… and everyone else… that."

"Tell them yourself," is the only response I can give as I try to keep my voice even. "Okay?"

"'Kay…" Vick's eyes briefly close for a moment as he nods a bit. "So tired…"

"Just… just… stay awake… That's all I'm asking…"

"'Kay…"

"Thanks. Help should be here any moment. They just got rid of the last of the enemy."

"We won?"

"Yeah… we won."

Soft footsteps from the back set my internal alarms, but before I can go through any contingency, a welcome voice calls out, "Peeta?"

I can't help myself, because an elated cry is emanated from my lungs: "Prim! In here!" I follow that up my looking down at Vick to say, "See? What I'd tell you."

My brother just responds by smirking at me before his smirk widens into a radiant smile. "That's great, Pa…"

I'll admit that the way Prim enters the room, with her gun at the ready, dampens my elation a bit as it reinforces how much things have changed in the past year. She's no longer just Katniss' innocent sister with the twin braids. Instead, she's now a Corpsman of Central, with the tattoos seen on her arms and under her right eye as testament to that; my wife still doesn't really approve of that life decision, especially considering her sister's age. Still, Prim's caring outlook on life hasn't changed one bit in the negative — if anything, she seems to have nurtured it — and she's definitely the first person I've wanted to see at this moment.

In any case, it's clear that even her training or any watched footage hasn't prepared Prim for the result of the little fracas that happened here. While she does manage to hold her composure, I can see her pale a bit. What does seem to break that cultivated composure however is when she sees Vick in my arms, and she immediately rushes over with her aid kit; not as comprehensive as I remember Luce having, but much more than the first aid kit. While she does so, other security personnel come streaming in.

Before I can say anything, Prim beats me to the punch: "Everybody's fine. Our moms took Ethan to the vault. And Katnss… well, I had to order her to stay put with Haymitch to keep the house safe." I can just imagine how pissed Katniss must be to get ordered around by her little duck.

In any case I breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good. Posy and Beth are safe downstairs," I state before nodding to the side. "Also, I need you to look at D there."

Prim briefly pauses to follow my gaze towards the boy's still-curled-up form. "Don't worry, I'll get to him. Anything I should know?"

"Um… I recommend being a bit careful. I think he's fine now, but earlier, he went at little… nuts…"

Now  _that_  really causes her to pause and fix me with a serious stare that I'm honestly not used to. "What do you mean by 'nuts'?"

"Um… see the guy on the counter?" When Prim takes a look, I can see her pale even further. "Yeah… he did that. It was weird; he was fine earlier. But then… crazy, and—"

"How were his eyes?" My sister-in-law's sharp query catches me off-guard, and I can definitely see that she possibly knows something I don't… something I probably don't want to know.

Still I answer her question: "Uh… they were completely dilated. Almost no color there." Turns out she's capable of becoming even more pale… and emanating quite a few colorful expletives.

Now I'm more than sure that Prim knows what I'm talking about, but she doesn't seem to be keen on answering me. While I'd like to know what's up, I'm not going to push her as she's working.

Except… she's… not.

"Prim? Uh… why did you stop?"

The only response she gives, after keying something into her wrist device, is to look up with tear-laden eyes and give me a shaky, "I… I'm sorry."

 _No…_  "You're… you're sorry for what?" Prim doesn't say anything this time, but gets up and begins slowly backing away with her hand to her mouth. "W-where are you going? He still needs help. Don't you, Vick?"

There's no response. And when I look down, the only indication given that he's still paying attention is the way he's staring right back at me with half-open eyes.

"Vick?"

Still nothing.  _No. No. No._

"Come on, this isn't time for pranks."  _Yeah, always the jokester. Well you got me; most elaborate joke yet, haha._  "This-this isn't funny."

_He can't be… he's not…_

"Dammit Vick, answer me! Quit being so stubborn and say something for fuck sake!"

_This… this… this isn't real…_

"Just… please answer… Anything… Please." I hold my brother closely to me, willing him to finally snap out of it. "Please?"

_This is just another nightmare… Where's Cato? Cato needs to be here to wake me up. Cato!_

Despite my calls for him, the tribute specter doesn't appear.  _But that doesn't prove anything; hasn't appeared in every dream._

_Because this isn't real. It can't be real. IT CAN'T BE REAL! IT'S NOT REAL!_

_It's not real _…__

_Alright, if that idiot Career isn't going to show his enigmatic face, I'll have to take matters into my own hand. Where—Ah yes, perfect._

Confident with the knowledge I'll be leaving this nightmare behind for reality, I bring the shard of glass to my neck.

_Not real… not real… not real…_


	6. Eyes of Promise

***Katniss***

"Uckle Vick sleep?"

Ethan's question is accompanied by wide eyes of silver that stare back at me. I know he doesn't mean it, but each syllable threatens to reduce my carefully-constructed resolve to tatters.

Still, I manage to nod and unstick my throat to affirm, "Yes, he's sleeping. He's… he's going to sleep for a long time."

My son does have a point that Vick actually does look serene and at peace as he lies on the table; this is despite how ashen his formerly vibrant complexion is, how he's still wearing much of his bloodstained uniform, and how some of the bullet wounds can be seen under the flowers laid out.

After there were no more tears to be shed, we did the best we could given what we had. Hazelle took the time to take off her son's tattered shirt before cleaning his face and wounds. Rory and I helped by picking nearby tiger lilies, yarrow, and thistle to adorn the body and, along with boughs of willow and juniper, construct the wreath with. Delly even provided candles and oils to help keep the scent of death at bay. It's the least we can do until it's time for burial.

I don't want to think about how Vick looks so much like his eldest brother when I first met the latter out in the woods all those years ago… but I can't help it, and that semblance makes everything all the more worse.

Madge should have gotten and forwarded the news to Gale by now. The toll on his mother and siblings is bad enough as is, but I can't even imagine what it's like for him at this moment; because of the damn manufactured estrangement we still have to uphold no matter what, he's unable to be here for his own brother and can't even talk remotely with the rest of his family. Peeta actually insisted that everybody else go with Gale during the break, but they were adamant about staying.

What I do know is that last part is something that's going to eat away at my husband… once he wakes up from sedation.

The district's still on lockdown, so my brother-in-law remains more or less as he was when removed from the bakery and brought here to the Cartwrights' several hours ago. From what I've been told, many of the bodies from the barracks and following skirmishes don't even have the luxury of a house and have to settle for being laid out in the streets, with makeshift tents reserved for the wounded; right now, Mother, Prim, and Luce are down there to help out with the efforts. Just as well; I can't really think about Prim, much less look at her, right now.

"Katniss?"

I'm shaken out of my thoughts and turn towards the voice to see Rory standing at the foot of the staircase. While he seems to be keeping things together, his usual state of calm has been overtaken by melancholy. He was much less composed earlier.

Who can blame him though? First his little brother; now one of his good friends…

Of course, I'm not going to drag that out; not to mention talking about the subject would lead to—  _Nope._  So I keep things straightforward. "Yes?"

"I think Peet's waking up."

"Thank you, Rory. We'll be up in a second," I state with a nod as I turn to look at my son. "Ethan, do you want to see Papa now?"

Instead of answering or budging from his spot however, Ethan paws at Vick's face with a scowl. "Uckle Vick cold."

I don't know how to explain all of this to my son; I don't want to explain that to him, no matter how important it is to be aware of the realities of life and death. Before I can say or do anything though, Ethan takes the blanket that he loves carrying around so much and uses it to cover his uncle's shoulders before turning back around to grin at me proudly.

In contrast to the monster who supplied his half of the genetics, my son holds so much innocence and kindness. Sometimes I can't help but feel that it's too much innocence for this wretched world. Just the thought of that blurs my vision — it seems that I still do have some tears left to shed — and what he just did once again threatens to make me lose it entirely.

As I wipe my eyes and continue my attempts at keeping everything under control, I feel my shirt being tugged on with a small, "Mama?"

I can't afford to let him see me like this, but I know that the inevitable is approaching and approaching fast.

To no small amount of relief, Rory comes to the rescue by walking over to adjust the blanket and reorganize the flowers before he tousles his nephew's hair with a small smile. "Thank you for keeping Vick warm. He appreciates that. Now," he chirps while kneeling down, "how about I take you to your pa, hm? Your ma will come up too."

"Okay Uckle Rawr-Rawr!" And so with that exclamation, Ethan hops up and off the table into Rory's arms. As my brother-in-law begins to walk up the steps, I mouth my thanks to him to which he acknowledges with a small nod.

Then once I know Ethan is out of sight and far enough to muffle any sound I'd make, I finally relinquish control over myself and allow the tears to run freely. A small part of my mind is still cognizant enough to hear the teardrops that splatter on the floorboards or the animalistic calls that crawl out of my throat as I curl up on the ground and cling to the table leg; a more dominant part simply doesn't care but rather continues to give me the go-ahead to cry. And cry I do.

I cry for Vick and the family visited by the specter of death.

I cry for Peeta, my love and hope. The dandelion in the spring that somehow manages to weather every storm but gains a new scar with each trampling.

I cry for the others lost today, as well as their friends, family, and comrades who will have to suffer like us without them.

And as I finally face the facts, I cry for Prim… my Little Duck who had grown up too quickly; whose last stubborn vestiges of her innocence and youth were washed away with the blood she shed.

I'm not delusional. I know that my sister remaining that innocent little girl who kept having her shirt flap come untucked — okay, nevermind, that still happens — is a pipe dream and dangerous in the long term; all the more when she decided to reside in Central. I'm aware that she was already becoming far more mature for her age when we were taken captive by the Capitol; on the flip side, despite that maturation even to this point, I know that she still maintains her kindness and compassion. And, no matter what, my love for her will never diminish.

It doesn't change the fact that I wish for times where she was the one with an innocent heart to be protected, not the one who picked-off several gunmen with a pistol before ordering me to stay put as her mutt tore into the rest. And it definitely doesn't change what I saw in the bakery: when she went from murmuring soothing words to the boy — both Rory and I were silently debating whether we should help or keep distance — to ending his life with a scalpel.

I remember back during the wedding when the Prim was teaching the boy to dance at Rory's behest. All of the children looked so happy those couple months ago. But now _…_

I believe her claims that nothing more could be done for him, that ending his life quickly reduced the amount of suffering, and that he even gave her the go-ahead. And it's obvious from where I was looking that she did her best to comfort him in his last moments. All those facts still don't change the fact that the moment that black-crystal blade entered his neck to slash it open — all the while they kept eye contact with each other — it felt as if a bomb had gone off and obliterated the sister I once knew; from the reaction Rory had, it's clear he felt the same way. It doesn't exactly help that she proceeded to admit that the boy's going be dissected after his… genetic material's harvested; that she supposedly got permission for that as well is cold comfort.

I'll soon have to come to terms with the young woman my sister has become. But "soon" does not mean "now".

As my sobs finally subside, I feel something warm dabbed under my eyes, and my vision finally clears to reveal Delly crouching in front of me with a cloth, bowl of warm water, and a pure expression of sympathy without pity. Even though her reputation is of someone who always has something good to say to people, to my extreme gratitude she stays silent while works on helping me get cleaned up and back on my feet.

With my composure restored, I hug Delly in a thankful gesture and follow up by asking, "How is he?"

Her expression becomes ever more sober at that. "He's… now aware that this isn't a dream." As if in answer, a muffled awful sound steams down from above. 

_Oh Peeta…_  If it weren't for a couple soldiers restraining him and Prim knocking him out, my husband would have used that shard of glass to accomplish what all our enemies have been unable to do. From what I've been told, his last moments before sedation involved him screaming about how it all wasn't real.

After getting the last of my bearings, I follow Delly up the stairs to her bedroom. Haymitch greets me at the door with the expression of someone who clearly hasn't enough to drink. While Posy and Beth lay in fitful slumber on the nearest bed, Rory watches over them with his shoulder clasped by Eli Cartwright. And on the opposite side of the room, Peeta lies curled up in bed with his arms wrapped around Ethan; no longer is any sound made, but his body still heaves as tears stream across his face. My son's confused but makes no attempt to squirm out of the grasp holding him in place; in fact he does the opposite by curling up against his dad's chest.

As I get closer, Hazelle, who sits at my husband's side and is stroking her hand through his hair, looks up to acknowledge me with a vacant stare; I suspect that keeping busy, be it patching-up her adoptive son or prepping the body of her birth one, is the only thing keeping her from clocking out right now. She's about to ready to vacate the spot for me, but I immediately make a sign that it's not needed.

Seating myself at the edge of the bed, I take Hazelle's free hand in mine and use my remaining one to weave into Peeta's. At the gesture, his eyes finally open to regard me, and he chokes out a broken, "Katniss."

If he's planning on saying anything else, I don't allow it. Instead I simply lean forward to give my husband a kiss on the forehead before whispering, "I'm here now."

~oOo~

None of us approach Peeta as he kneels at Vick's side and rests a hand on his brother's shoulder.

After he had composed himself and finally got out of bed — no small feat considering his injuries — the first thing Peeta requested was to see the body, and there was no point in delaying his closure.

With his back to me, I can't see what he's thinking, but whenever there's no pervasive silence I can hear faint traces of my husband murmuring something that I suspect is not meant for the ears of the living.

I don't know how much time passes; we definitely don't push it. In any case, when Peeta finally stands back up, he doesn't turn our way but continues to stare at the body before him.

Several more minutes of silence pass before he asks, "Haymitch… how many others lost their lives today?"

A look of conflict crosses Haymitch's face, and it's clear he's trying to deflect the question and hedge around it. "Numbers are still coming in, so that there's no way we can be su—"

"How. Many?"

"… Last I heard… approximately five hundred dead; three hundred soldiers in the barracks and adjoining buildings, fifty from the fighting, and the rest civilians. A couple hundred more still are unaccounted for."

It's then that I can see why our mentor was so hesitant in answering: because with the news, it's as if Peeta's fighting an internal enemy. Shoulders tense up, and tremors go up and down his arms. Each gasping breath is accompanied with a shudder as he bows his head. And as his hands ball into fists, fingernails carve deep furrows into the table surface.

The sight pains me to witness, but there's no point in just feeling horrible about it. So I don't even hesitate to lean in behind him to wrap my arms around his chest. All the while, I murmur the words I've used during stressful days and turbulent nights: "Stay with me."

It only takes a few seconds for the tremors to finally subside away, and with his breaths gradually returning to normal, my husband takes one of my hands to intertwine our fingers and bring it up to his face. "Always."

We stand here like this for who knows how long before I state, "This isn't your fault." I'm not just saying this so Peeta doesn't tear himself up over all that has happened. Because while he may have been the primary target, the blame for all this loss truly does falls upon the monsters who decided to commit this atrocity.

"I know."

Okay, while I was hoping for an answer along those lines — admittedly, considering the person in question, my expectations were a bit on the low side — there's something about the way those two words are uttered that turns the blood in my veins to ice. Something that doesn't sound like it should come from my boy with the bread.

And when Peeta finally turns to face me, I'm barely able to resist the overriding urge to take a few steps back upon getting a good look at his eyes. It's not as I initially feared in that they don't contain that familiar vacant stare that I've associated with loss; certainly, the light within those orbs hasn't diminished in the slightest. However, what's contained in them is something much worse.

Because those radiant eyes don't show me any promise of hope. They don't reflect the blue of a bountiful sea willing to provide food, a fair day's carpet of bluebells heralding the arrival of a new season, or a spring offering to quench a weary traveler's thirst.

What they instead reflect is a tidal wave poised to crush everything in its path, a lightning storm charging up to strike any being left outside, and a copper-contaminated well lying in wait to poison all who drinks from it.

No, there's no hope to be promised in those eyes of blue. At this moment, there's only one thing that they promise:

War.


	7. Holodomor

***Gale***

Despite preparations for the worst punctuated by tragedy being a recent constant for me, I enjoy reprieves.

Especially whenever it allows me to use my legs.

Even better, this time there are no accompanying specters to either give unsolicited advice — they are never straightforward about that advice either — or make unnecessary commentary. Because I'm not really in the mood to have Romulus Thread comment on my exercise habits again; I guess no longer being in charge of micromanaging a Peacekeeper unit means that asshole has to make do with micromanaging me.

In any case, North Gate's a wonderful place to take a jog in. Two's northernmost and second-largest city — as the name suggests, it provides the straightest shot on ground north to the Capitol via Founder's Pass — may not be as grandiose as the mountain-and-palace-filled Martius City, but it's still scenic in its own right; there are even glaciers less than an hour away. Be it the crisp air, surrounding hills covered in pine, trout-filled river flanked with cottonwoods, songbirds flitting through the air, and substantial city known for its blade-crafting; it's beautiful place to be.

It's almost easy to forget what reality is li—

"GALE!"

* * *

Almost.

The groggy haze of my interrupted sleep takes a few seconds — or minutes; I'm not exactly counting — to dispel, but it finally materializes into the form of a mayor's daughter. A mayor's daughter who has dyed her previously-blond hair black and taken to wearing brown contacts — even though she has almost never made any public appearance with me — but a mayor's daughter nonetheless.

"Is it time to go already, Madge?" I grumble while giving a tighter grip on my blankets. I know I shouldn't be petulant, but a good night's sleep bereft of nightmares is hard to come by these days.

The only response Madge deigns to give the tone of my voice is a roll of her eyes and a jacket tossed in my direction. "We still have a couple hours, but you know how important it is to get a bit of a head start," she states before taking a quick look outside and peering back at me. "Maybe we can use that time to cut and recolor your hair; your roots are starting to show again."

"Because giving me a dye helps so much," I shoot back while pulling myself up and flinging the now-stick-like remnants of my legs over the side of the couch for emphasis. "'Nevermind the two-meter-tall paraplegic who has an uncanny resemblance to a former commander now wanted by the government; he's blond and thus totally different.'"

"Well it's not like many people can instantly tell how tall you are," Madge mutters. She doesn't even bother to wince afterwards. Granted, the fact that neither of us are uncomfortable with such statements — I will say they aren't as creative as Peeta can sometimes get when he's pissed — is probably a testament as to how comfortable with each other.

Even after we eventually and mutually decided to end our tryst — not that we don't still occasionally indulge in some bedtime fun; one of the few genuine joys I have these days — Madge decided to stick by my side to help out. I can honestly say that she's not only been invaluable in her resourceful assistance by managing everything — from our work to my everyday life — she's been a great friend, especially since everyone else I truly care about has to keep their distance.

_Little good that did V—_

_Don't fucking think about that!_

Forcing those thoughts down with a grimace, I try to keep my tone conversationally caustic when I counter, "My mistake. I was so concerned about my handicap causing to me to stick out like a sore thumb when it turns out that my main distinguishing feature is being tall and having black hair. Now that those have been taken care of,  _everything's_  now better!"

Madge finally sighs and throws her hands up. "I can't do this right now. So, I'm going to talk to the others. Get yourself ready by the time this hour's up; because, we're going out by then regardless of how underdressed you may be. If you're still in your undies by then, so help me, we're going to allow your privates to shrivel in the December air," she snaps while striding out of our room.

Despite my own initial state of crankiness, I barely allow for time to pass after her departure before I heave a sigh of my own and dress myself; everything else is packed, so it's not like I have to do much in that regard. So after hauling myself onto the wheelchair, I trundle out of our safe house to be greeted by the crisp winter air… and a reality that's way more nightmarish than any dreamscape can give me.

It started almost exactly a year after Coin made her inaugural address. Before then, there was more than a hefty share of rhetoric that Two needed to pay in some manner for its role in Snow's regime; on the other side, there were some groups that flat-out refused to admit that their side lost and manifested their refusal in the most assholish of manners. Well, those constant attacks from the former — despite their targets almost always being the people of Two themselves — succeeded in galvanizing the rhetoric of the former.

Even in hindsight, not even the most critical of us would have anticipated what would soon happen. Yes, everyone knew that things would be tough for this district; that much was clear with the almost-immediate closure of the weapons' factories. Then there came the influx of soldiers from other parts of the nation, as well as administrators from the Capitol — it's amazing how quickly they turned on Two so as to get on Coin's good side — and Thirteen. That influx coincided with an extreme curbing of Two's former rebel force; Lyme and my units managed to retain our Two soldiers due to our high profiles, but we can't take in any more.

The arrival of a new district administration also coincided with harsher penalties and enforcement for Coin's damn Virtues and Treasons. That type of administration was one that neither Lyme nor I could overturn; curbing, looking the other way, and playing misdirection had been the best we can do to minimize suffering. The whole thing reeked of when Thread took over Twelve.

However, even then, we just thought that things would just be like they used to in most districts: everybody hungry and an oppressive government looking over your shoulder; not exactly anything out of the ordinary, but survivable.

That is… until the number of trains carrying the usual food shipments suddenly had a sharp drop… which coincided with the confiscation of the food kept in the district storage units. The reduced shipment was blamed on bad crops throughout the nation, and the confiscation was stated to be delayed enforcement of the laws against hoarding. However, despite the basis of those excuses being partially true — the unseasonably hot and rain-less weather caused droughts to hit Nine hard — it soon became obvious what was going on: Coin's starving Two.

At first the idea — at least the idea of it being to the extent that we suspected — seemed preposterous. At almost a million people, Two's one of the top districts in terms of sheer population; that our president would be willing to kill off so many people, especially with that sustainability rhetoric of hers — was… it wasn't something any of us could comprehend. Maybe it would get like how the outer districts were during the Games, but nothing more than that.

But as the months passed, the horrid reality settled in.

That's not to say that there's no food at all. However, it's only been given out to those in government-approved jobs. Administrators and commanders have no worries of going hungry at all, and soldiers get enough food for them and their families to be healthy; of course, even the most bitter solider from Two is smart enough to know that they're hopelessly outnumbered by the imports, so there're have been negligible incidents of anybody trying to rise up. However, the laborers get even less rations than their pre-war Twelve counterparts. Besides mining and stone-cutting, brass and bronze continues to be made in this district; their rations are at the bare minimum, and it's been especially insulting to melt down many of the old monuments to create new ones praising the new order.

Those not in any of the approved positions get nothing at all, and Two's terrain ensures that few things useful could be grown to supplement anyone's diet; if there's anything grown or raised, it'd just be confiscated anyways. The other new arrivals — mainly from One so far, but there's been a disturbingly recent and continuous influx of people from Four as well — also ensures that any remain resource gets stretched thin.

The result of all of this plays out before me as I peer outside of the utility vehicle that rolls through town.

In a way, the scene is quite surreal. I mean, with the clouds only on the horizon, the sun sits in a perfect blue sky to shine its warming light upon the snow-capped hills of North Gate. At any other time this would be a beautiful sight.

Looking at the city quickly puts to rest any ideas of beauty. If anything, it seems as if nature is mocking humanity in its suffering.

The obvious thing of note that would catch anyone's attention is the collection of projections. Projections at every block and accompanied by loudspeakers to either blare out the glories of the new government… or to shame the people here for formally supporting the old one. For the latter, any footage of Peacekeepers shows them at their most sadistic as they dispense brutality… or their most weak as they die in the droves; the same occurs when unedited footage of Careers play. Then the tone of condemnation would morph back to a something akin to nurturing as it declares how the new Capitol is magnanimous to give everyone a chance so long as they show their worth.

Before, these propos were met with derision at best; that derision would turn into full-blown anger whenever there's an air of gloating regarding the graphic deaths of Two's soldiers and tributes. Sometimes there were even demonstrations. However, if you tell someone that they are worthless long enough — especially if the volume is blared high enough to reverberate in your chest as imagery plays twenty-four-seven — they start to believe it. It naturally didn't translate to the people of Two bowing down to lick Coin's shoes, but it's more than clear that any potential motivation for the locals to rise up withered away in the face of the continuous onslaught.

Just to further the insult, the propos keep mentioning that food relief is just around the corner… before going on to declare that even a meager increase is more than they deserve, and that living a life of privilege under Snow means that they could do well to suffer the same level of turmoil that other districts suffered. That's followed with more statements of condemnation. By now, people are too weary to even respond with derision; some now even look up with the slightest bit of hope.

"You'd think they get a clearer shot of me," I mutter as we pass one of the projections. Have I mentioned that one of the recent updates is a warrant for my arrest?

Madge sends an aside glance in my direction. "Are you seriously complaining about that?"

"It's not like nobody knows what I look like. If someone saw us and wanted to turn me in, we'd be on our way to the Capitol already. So it'd just be nice to get something a bit more flattering… or threatening," I state with a shrug. "I'm not picky. Just something that makes an impact; not an out-of-focus shot taken from a distance."

"Have you considered that they are trying to  _diminish_  your impact?" she shoots back.

"But I'm too handsome to diminish." I mock-protest with a whine; it causes Onyx Alvar, our driver, to let off a strangled sputter. "At least that's what everyone said during war."

"During the war, you could also show off that ass," Madge comments. "Not so much anymore." What did I say about her comfort regarding commentary about me?

They may be used to our banter by now, but the soldiers accompanying and guarding us still have a hard time hiding their discomfort considering their wide eyes and red faces; it's as if they're not sure whether to laugh or gasp. In any case, it's better that they feel uncomfortable about us than the outside… especially when it comes to the subject of the people.

It's not the mental and emotional breaking that you notice first when looking upon many of the inhabitants. Rather, it's the sunken cheeks and eyes on oversized heads seeming to balance precariously on bodies that just barely pass as belonging to the living; bodies that have gone from the height of martial athleticism to diminished skeletal frames where clothing hangs as loosely upon them as their sagging yellowed skin; bodies that are all angles and furrows except for distended bellies that bloat outwards like engorged ticks. When you pay closer attention to these walking dead — there's really nothing else that the truly severe cases can be called — the breaking does become more apparent in the dull eyes that stare without focus… or the shambling gait that completely lacks any semblance of energy; that's assuming whenever one doesn't decide to just find a spot to lie down for the last time.

Yeah, there are more than a few people who aren't in this bad of condition. However, the workers are still skinny, and even the soldiers are clearly in worse shape than their counterparts in other districts.

It's worse in the summertime. At least the last couple winters have been mild, though still cold enough to cause a sizable number of deaths. However, the above-normal temperatures of summer have not only meant skyrocketing deaths due to heat exhaustion, but the sweltering climate causes a fetid stench to rise up in every community.

At the very least, bodies rarely remain on the ground for long. Then again, that's cold comfort when realization hits about those unclaimed corpses. I never patronize any meat vender for that simple reason.

Of course, cannibalism is officially illegal, with either sale or consumption being a capital offense. So the bodies of the ones accused of that crime join the rest of the condemned — a rabble-rouser here; a "NonCon" there; food hoarders everywhere… — in hanging off the sides of buildings to decompose or wither in the elements while being eaten by carrion fowl; many loiter around the corpses so as to catch those birds.

Just as cold of comfort is the fact that the starving rarely includes children. That's because there needs to be children to starve in the first place.

We probably should have seen it coming when the community homes were closed. It's not just something that happened in Two or even the former Career districts; all of the districts have had their community homes shut down and the inhabitants taken away. The government-stated rationale behind this action was that it felt that it would better take care of those parentless kids.

Then Coin's government announced that it would take ownership of any child it deems to be in an unsatisfactory household. Suffice to say, when the starvation went into effect here, many households were rendered as "unsatisfactory". Anybody who tried to resist the taking of their own young — sometimes as young as still-nursing infants — was… made an example of.

Where have all those kids been taken? Not even my contacts in Thirteen and the Capitol know, but I can't see any possibility that's good. What  _is_  known is that there are now less than fifteen percent of children left in this district compared to right after the end of the war; this even takes into account the arrivals from One and now Four, as none of those people getting off the trains have been under the age of eighteen. Only the very lucky and very prosperous — a term that's become quite generous these days — have managed to keep custody of their children, but who knows how long that will last.

Not to say I haven't tried to help. I barely managed to persuade Porus in time to increase her recruitment quota; between her strict standards and the speed at the government's seizure campaign, only a few hundred kids — none of them younger than fifteen — have been taken in by Central, but I've been willing to take anything I can get. I also diverted much of my income and rations — plus what I've been able to fish or hunt; it was a challenge to learn how to do so, without the use of legs, but I managed — to try and help a few families on the cusp out; though now I'm not sure how they'll fare with that source dried up, even with the contingency plans I gave them in the likely event of my death or disappearance.

Especially since disappearing is exactly what I'm doing right now.

Like the upcoming struggle we'll all likely face, the loss of my legitimacy in the eyes of Coin was really a matter of "when", not "if". Though before that inevitability, I did as much as possible to prepare during the period of respite: setting up egress routes in all the major communities, publically espousing pro-Coin rhetoric — if there's one thing I'm glad I no longer have to do, it's that — while at the same time doing various things to assure Two that I'm on their side, separating potential allies from liabilities, telling those allies and resistance groups to keep a low profile instead of stirring up even the slightest bit of trouble, and so on.

I'm not sure what finally tipped her off to issue the warrant, but I'm honestly surprised that I lasted as long I did. The fortunate thing is that I have my own informants and warning systems. So by the time my and Lyme's wanted statuses became public, we were long gone from Martius City.

It was already decided well ahead of time that it'd be best if our respective groups would split up to our destinations and that we would not tell each other what paths would be taken. In the meantime, we informed our soldiers — at least the ones who aren't going with us; close to a squad's-worth per group — to scatter and go underground with their families in such an event; I didn't have time to check if all made it out, so the best that can be done is to simply hope.

Being on the run hasn't been easy, especially with the little niggling fact that running in itself is a bit of an impossibility considering my… condition. So one moment I may be hiding in plain sight while being driven around; another moment would flat-out involve shoving me in a crate for transport. The latter in a way is even more difficult considering that the rails are about as Coinist as you can get, but we still have friends in those spots who know how to mask our presence on the trains. The tradeoff though is that it doesn't guarantee us arriving exactly where we want to be.

Which is why we've overshot our destination by almost two hundred miles to the northwest; the direct nonstop train from Martius City to North Gate was the only secure shot we could take, even though there are stops along that specific line which are less than fifty miles from said destination.

So now we're presented with two options: making sure that the guards at the perimeter of the community would allow us to leave so as we can take the long trek by this land vehicle… or hoping that there are enough friendlies in the base to allow us access to a hovercraft. Suffice to say, while the latter's a lot faster and ensures a higher chance of reaching our destination, the former is far less risky on the initial side; the unfriendly nature of Martius City's hangers is exactly why we couldn't just leave through that method, Central loaning its transports would be too conspicuous, and we couldn't have our own hovercraft. Granted, there's the other option of our contacts coming to pick us up, and Madge did send a message out, but we've had no reply and know better than to expect them to leave themselves open.

Oh yeah, and this whole time we have to avoid detection from the Ha—

The vehicle screeches to a halt, jolting me out of my thoughts and almost into the front seat. "Something the matter, Alvar?" I grumble towards at driver while massaging the back of my neck for whiplash.

Our driver merely points a shaky hand forward. "Sir, I think we may have a slight problem."

When my eyes follow the direction that Onyx is pointing, I notice that we've reached the city square. I also notice that it's a lot crowded than it should be… Okay, it's completely packed full of people, which means that we'll have to either find another way around or simply keep on going forward; people will shuffle out of the way of a military vehicle, but it means that the trek is a lot slower than desirable.

That's when I see the bright banners held aloft. That's when I hear the blaring of pro-Coin chants. That's when I smell the acrid smoke wafting up from a pyre of "subversive materials". That's when I realize the problem we're now facing.

_The fucking Crimson Hand…_

It's true that there has been an increase of soldiers who aren't under my command, who frequently hail from Thirteen, and who are being party to the same kind of increased restrictions on this district that the Peacekeepers were in the others. However, those soldiers aren't the primary concern; hell, the good chunk of them are clearly uncomfortable with what they are doing despite many of them genuinely swearing allegiance to Coin after decades of brainwashing. The same can't be said about the Crimson Hand for the Guiding of the Unified Order: a force that's completely separate from the rest of the military, has a chain of command that's only answerable to Coin, and directly exerts her will upon Panem in any manner they see fit.

When I say "any manner they see fit", I mean that the written laws go out the window whenever these thugs — many of whom are children barely hitting puberty; if anything, those kids are frequently worse than the adults they share full authority with — roll into town while waving those banners and pamphlets proclaiming the glory of their new order. These thugs get to choose for themselves what the criterion for an offense — usually dealing with one of the Four Treasons — is as well as what the penalty would be. A first-time offense that earns a whipping one day may earn a disappearance the next.

In the end, they know how much power they wield and revel in it; hell, you either join up with them — interestingly enough, only a small percentage of those in the Hand originate from Thirteen, while the vast majority come from the districts — out of zealous adherence to Coin and her damn Virtues, or you join up for the power perks.

And it's bad enough what the Hand is responsible for doing, but then their uniform just hammers the point home. That's because they directly adopted the old Peacekeeper gear to be their own; in contrast, most soldiers still wear the same kind of uniforms that come from Thirteen. This time, the only difference is that the white has been replaced by dark gray for the clothing and blood red for the rigid armor; for a government that prides itself on austerity, the main enforcers of its will somehow manage to look even gaudier than their predecessors. I also don't know whom this is harder for; those in the other districts who merely see a palette swap of their former oppressors, or those here in Two who see a mockery of their former soldiers turned against them.

The worst part is that while the military has little authority to stop them, the Hand has every authority to report on army units. What can be done to mitigate their influence is to sometimes work around and delay them. Mostly we just play a damn game of chicken to show that while the Hand may be better equipped and have a direct line to Coin, we're more numerous and have a lower sense of self-preservation after being beaten down. More often than not, the Hand are the ones who blink; for all their fanaticism, they really enjoy the perks of power and aren't too willing to give that up in exchange for a potential trip to the morgue, even if the ones sending them on that trip have the hammer fall on them shortly afterwards.

Still, I'm honestly surprised we've lasted as long as we did, and this fact makes it all the more imperative that my soldiers disappear on their own.

But right now, I can't afford to worry about them right now. Right now, I have to worry about us. Because with this impromptu rally going on, it can be guaranteed that security's been tightened. And considering that the Hand is the prime group going after me…

"Okay," I assure Onyx, "it's not like they've noticed anything out of the ordinary with us. We're just a squad that didn't expect these… visitors and have no wish to disrupt their rally. So let's just back up and turn arou—"

A single honk from behind us bursts that idea into shreds.  _Sonuvabitch…_  Of course, another army truck has to pull up behind us on a single lane road.

"Well then," I mutter while patting our driver on the shoulder, "forward it is, Alvar."

"Yes, sir," he mumbles back as we lurch forward through the parting crowd and closer to the stage.

Despite the excruciating pace, it's not long before we're at the halfway point. In other words, we're in front of the stage; around a hundred meters away, but still right in front. At this point, I can hear perfectly what's being blared out; it's really nothing new in terms of Coinist drivel. Though now they're in the process of moving on from the general speeches and into their displays of punishment for the various Treasons.

It goes without saying that I hate this part. However, there's now an extra feeling of impotence from our inability to help out, and it's clear that all of us can't wait to move out of here soo—

_Oh no…_

Now add an additional collective feeling of horror when we see who's dragged up to the stage.

It's one of the victors.


	8. Smothered Flames

 

***Gale***

If we're being honest, Olivine Price and I have never gotten along. Sure, she's committed to the cause and attended our meetings. But other than, she brought nothing to the table other than snide commentary about District Two supremacy — to the point that even the other victors and former Peacekeepers found it tedious — or a general gung-ho rhetoric about storming the Capitol that'd probably get everyone killed.

Still, the victor doesn't deserve to be hauled up to a stage like this while a Hand spokesman prattles on about the end of the age of victors. To her credit though, Olivine shows no fear as to her predicament; if anything, despite the bruises marring her face, she remains as rigid as can be with an expression of pure defiance and anger directed at those around her. This is especially the case when Olympia Wilson and Cinnabar Anders are brought up.

At the last part, I do take a moment to internally mourn the Wilsons and Anders. I liked the older victors and had really hoped that they were able to escape; now I just hope that Darius and the rest of the victors' kids are able to cope.

Suddenly a new arrival catches my attention. Like the rest of the Hand, the young man — he looks no older than Peeta or Katniss — striding forward is geared up in crimson armor. However, something about this youth seems a bit different than the rest of them. I'm not just talking about the gold trim on that armor that confers an elite status, or the deference the other Hand soldiers show. I'm also not talking about the right arm that's clearly prosthetic all the way up to his shoulder. Rather it's his general bearing and expression; one which holds a high level of professionalism and none of the haughtiness — if anything, he almost looks regretful — that characterizes his peers. Despite that, for some reason his presence actually seems to get even more hatred from Price — not to mention a bit of recognition — as well as dark murmurings from the normally listless crowd.

That's when I'm able to make out the symbol on his breastplate: a trisected Capitol seal that emanates three rays of gold from the break. That's when I recognize the meaning of that symbol; a symbol that has been the subject of various meetings ever since this past 's when cold tendrils unfurl in my stomach as I realize that I'm looking at a Redeemer for the first time; one of the people responsible for… for…

"Gale!"

Madge's hissed exclamation sends a jolt through me, and I look back to see that she recognizes as well what the person on the stage represents; despite that, she also looks at me with the sort of tight-lipped warning that tells me to let this pass for now.

I know she's right, and the logical part of my brain is screaming why that's so.  _Still…_

Any possible thought is mentally beaten down by the sense of urgency at the task at hand. As I unfurl my fists to reveal bloody crescents in my palms, I keep focus on said sense of urgency. Because if I don't focus on something right now, I know that I will probably do something really stupid that gets everyone killed.

Even with that however, part of my attention still gets drawn back to the stage, and as we near the exit of the square, something happens to push all concerns away.

Because in one minute, the spokesman for the Hand is demanding that Price recant her prior position and accept the new rule; in the next, the latter launches herself at former with currently-unbound hands and a clear intent to kill. After tackling the spokesman, the victor rises up from the now twitching body with a triumphant expression and bloody shiv held aloft.

"MORS ANTE INFA—"

Price doesn't get to finish her sentence. What instead happens is that a light spear hurled by the Redeemer — there's some modification to his prosthesis that allows the arm to function as some sort of launcher — pierces through her skull before her body flops to the ground.

And then the whole crowd goes berserk.

I suppose that it's expected that an undercurrent of resentment simmering beneath the broken husks could be unleashed. After all, that's what happened to the entire nation four years ago. Still, it takes me completely by surprise, and not in a good way.

"Okay, forget going steady, we need to get out of here RIGHT NOW!" I shout as one of our windows spiderwebs from a thrown rock.

As the vehicle lurches forward, I can see the crowd move as a wave towards the podium. While they do so, the Redeemer retreats back to a hovercraft and rallies the others to move to the train.

Even as they fire into the crowd, some unlucky soldiers don't manage to retreat fast enough. Let's just say that once they are seized armor doesn't offer quite enough protection to save them; because even though the crowd may be weak from starvation, having at least several people pulling on each limb tends to be fairly effective. I don't miss that many there are using that opportunity to sate their hunger as well.

Despite the wave of nausea that washes over me at the sight — the frenzied mass of people obscures a lot, as does the increasing distance we put between us and them, but it doesn't do enough for me to not tell what's happening — my sympathy for the Hand limited past the point of general horror of such a fate befalling anyone. The same can't be said for any unlucky Army soldier are also caught by the mob.

Some may think me hypocritical considering the fact that many of the Hand are barely reaping age while the lower limit for the Army is fourteen, with the bulk of the teenagers sixteen and above; however, age is a nonfactor for me. Those in the Hand joined for their zeal, and I've been witness to the way that zeal manifested into action; hell, I can still recall the sense of superiority they had here till the point where things went to shit. In contrast, it's clear that most of the soldiers — even many of those with a strong sense of devotion to the government — don't like what's going on around Two; many of them also have no choice in where they're posted in the first place. That's not getting into the horrific irony in terms of the simple fact that many of the solders' screams are Two-accented.

Of course, it's unlikely the mob gives a damn about that last part. If anything, they're probably attacking those from Two with even more viciousness — especially with them now having seized weaponry in their hands now — due to the perception of the latter being traitors. Though at this point, things are getting out of control enough that they are now indiscriminately attacking and destroying anything — by now, the only things nearby to destroy are original community structures and buildings — they can get their hands on; I wouldn't be surprised if many carrying out such acts of violence are the same who scoffed at the uprisings in the outer districts four years ago.

Because this is… this is…

_Oh, fuck… this is a fucking uprising!_

That realization causes another heavy blanket of dread to fall upon me. And it's not just from the unfolding devastation itself, as horrible as it is. It's from the knowledge as to what's going to come after.

Once we cross one of the main bridges — along with a whole bunch of people fleeing the violence, which remains content to stay on the north side of the river… for now — I issue an order: "Stop the car."

"What?" everyone else squawks in unison as they all stare at me in a wide-eyed manner; the kind which suggests that I've lost my mind. Granted, they may have a point at that last part, but if that's the case, they're a bit late to the game as my marbles have been gone for quite some time.

"Stop the car," I repeat. "We need to do something about this."

"We need to get out of North Gate," Madge states. "The whole city is going to tear itself apart."

"And how do you think Coin's going to react to this?"

Only a few seconds pass before my companions are able to process my question and realize the implications. When they do, it takes a far shorter amount of time for their expressions to be dominated by that of horror.

"All these people…"

I respond to Madge with a grim nod. "Which is why we need to get them out of here and fast."

"But how?" asks Onyx, who has rolled the vehicle to a stop but looks ready to continue accelerating right out of here… assuming he knows where an exit out of the city is.

"I'm trying to figure that out," I mutter while looking out the window… which is when I spot my opportunity. "Nevermind, I know how… and none of you will like it, but I need everyone to keep a cool head."

This announcement seems to arise a bit of suspicion in Madge as she narrows her eyes at me that suggests she thinks I'm about to do something really…  _really_  stupid. "Gale, what are you—"

 _Too late._  Before anybody else can object, I swing open the door and holler out, "Over here, Soldier!"

Ignoring the subdued — since they could be a lot louder, I'm going to count this as them keeping it cool — squawks of dismay from my companions, I focus my attention to the soldier I've just hailed. She looks to be barely out of her teens — so do most of the other soldiers surrounding her and crossing the bridge; the fact that many of them look several steps away from a breakdown just further emphasizes their youth — yet the holo that she clutches close to her implies that she's in charge; considering the manner and frequency in which holos are given out, it actually implies that she's in charge of overseeing this whole community. Right now though, she merely looks to be overseeing a retreat back to base.

I must be obscured by the interior of the vehicle, because the soldiers show no sign of recognition when I call to them. Instead, they straighten up and head towards us with palpable relief as if I'm just another commander taking charge of the situation. Before long, the group gets close enough that I'm able to read the tag on the leader's uniform as "Cote"; I'm also able to notice that the holo's splattered and smeared with a recent coat of blood, which hints why someone so young is in charge of it… not to mention what happened to the chain of command here. That last part is a genuine pity as the commander in charge here was one of the reasonable ones from Seven; I was actually doing an evaluation the past year and, if things hadn't gone south so quickly, would have eventually approached him about the possibility of joining our movement.

Anyways, I'm not looking at my companions, but I can still tell that all of them are tensing up and reaching for their weapons; even Madge, who's learned to be quite proficient with a pistol. In response to that, I raise my hand in a way to tell them to keep calm but vigilant; because if things get bad enough that a firefight occurs, it's doubtful any of us will make it out alive.

Still, they have full grounds to be vigilant because by the time Cote's only a couple feet away, she and her fellow soldiers  _do_  recognize who I am; it's clear enough by the way they halt in their tracks with eyes widened and follow that up by raising their weapons.

While still hoping that everyone else keeps that cool head, I hold my hands up in a placating and submissive manner to show that I'm unarmed. "Easy there, Commander Cote. I don't mean any harm. I just need to talk to you."

"It's still ' _Soldier_  Cote', Commander Hawthorne," she states while keeping a pistol trained on me with one hand; the other still clutches that holo hard enough to turn the knuckles white. "You can talk to us after we bring you in, sir."

Judging by her accent, the soldier's clearly from Thirteen, which could be tricky. However, that the she's still calling me by that honorific is something I'm taking as a good sign since it implies that I'm still recognized as an authority figure; a fugitive authority figure, but an authority figure nonetheless. That in turn implies that there's still a level of respect being held, which will make negotiation potentially easier.

"Fine, 'Soldier' it is," I calmly state. "Though I have no intention of being taken prisoner and wouldn't have flagged you down if that were so."

While the gun isn't lowered, I don't miss the smallest bit of hesitation tinged with curiosity creeping into Cote's expression. "Then why did you do so?" I also don't miss her unspoken follow-up:  _"You could have easily gone on your merry way without us noticing."_  Of course, I don't actually expect them to admit that out-loud.

"Because this is urgent, and I care what happens to the people here: soldier and civilian alive."

A flash of anger and disbelief flares out through that hesitation. "If you care so much, then why the charge of treason, sir?" she spits. "Traitors care for nothing but bringing chaos to undermine hard-earned order."

"Under that principle, you were helping a whole army of traitors in the last war," I counter.

That pulls her up short. "I'm no traitor."

"Really? Snow said a lot of the same things about maintaining order," I state. "That's not even getting into the First Rebellion; what Thirteen did then sounds a bit like treason towards the Capitol to me."

"This—this is different."

Cote's assertion earns a short humorless bark of laughter from me. "Yes, because the starvation of this district is a paragon of order. Look me in the eyes and tell me that those wasting away in the streets deserve their fate like these damn propos declare." To my satisfaction, the soldier's unable to formulate a proper response — I also see the other members of her unit shifting with discomfort, which is a good sign in itself — and so I press on: "I won't deny that I'm a traitor to Coin, but I want you to ask yourself if I've ever shown myself to not give a damn about the people of Two or those under my command. Ask yourself if I've given leeway to our enemies in the field. I want to ask yourself, as I'm sitting in front of you instead of making my escape, if you really think I'm a traitor to  _Panem_."

By now, even though their guns still aren't lowered, my would-be captors are now completely flummoxed — I'm pretty sure my companions are as well; I know I am since oratory skills are still something I suck at despite Peeta's coaching — as Cote states, "You have one minute to explain what's so urgent, sir."

In response to that, I finally decide to get right to the point: "Have you heard what happened to Powder City?"

She must, because I can see the blood drain away from faces of everyone in front of me. "That… that was an industrial accident."

"Bullshit," I snap, "and I know you know it." Seriously, I've never heard anyone so uncertain.

"Even if it wasn't, something like that wouldn't happen here." Again, there's that uncertainty. "That was a well-armed and belligerent Peacekeeper stronghold. This is only—"

"—a 'civil disturbance'?" I can't resist snorting at the terminology; nobody actually wants to call things for what they are… especially since much of the gunfire right now is more than a bit sporadic and definitely not coming from the hands of soldiers. "If that's the case, why is the Hand withdrawing instead of cracking down on this 'disturbance'? Why aren't you getting any orders from Command to deal with the situation? Powder City was as out of the way as you can get and was dealt with directly by the Capitol; do you really think that Coin is just going to allow a mob to take control of a city that's actually situated right on the main line to her city?"

"I…"

"Look, we can debate all you want, but we're running out of time. You have two options: keep on believing the Capitol's drivel and try to take me in… or actually do your duty to the people you've been assigned to look after. I can't guarantee the second option will get you out alive, but I  _can_ guarantee that we'll  _all_  die if you choose the first one." Yeah, I know I'm probably being melodramatic, and for all I know, what I fear may not come true; however, this is one of those cases where it's better to err on the side of pessimism. Granted, I also know that I'm taking a major gamble when I hold my hands out to her to both symbolize the weighing of said options and leave myself open to being handcuffed. "The choice is yours. Besides, if I am wrong, I give my word that I will also allow myself to be taken in afterwards; it's not like I can easily flee right now."

The period in which it takes for Cote to come to a decision feels like an eternity; while probably only a couple minutes pass, every second is precious if we're to survive this fiasco. Finally, she takes a deep breath before motioning the ones behind her to stand down. "What… what do you have in mind, sir?"

I barely allow the soldier's query to be completed before asking, "How familiar are you with North Gate?"

"Pretty well, I think," she states. "Most of us were here since the Re—"

"That's all I need to hear." Yeah, I'm probably being a bit brusque right now, but again, time is of the essence. "I'm going to need your holo for the moment."

The fact that some semblance of order is being reestablished at least for this moment seems to be working its magic as Cote doesn't even hesitate to bring out the device, turn it on, and allow me to sync it with my own holo; unlike how things usually go we actually have to do the syncing manually with a cord due to the disabling of the wireless interface — in other words, disabling the ability to track me — in mine.

The moment the layout of the city and surrounding area shows up, I immediately begin marking spots throughout the map. "The western slope of Mount M is the initial objective; the summit is the primary one. If it's too far or all routes are blocked, then you go for the backup options." I follow up the highlighting of the destinations by tracing paths throughout the city itself. "You're going to be getting the inhabitants of this city there."

Cote's eyes become saucers at the implication of my demand. "How—"

"Go door-to-door and tell people that they are immediate danger and where to go. Explain why if you have to, but don't waste your time forcing people who don't want to leave; though I suggest some persuading if they have kids. Also tell them to spread the word to their neighbors."

"That's still tens of thousands of people!"

"Which is why I'm going to need everyone on board about this," I note while pointing at her communicator. "I know there are people stationed throughout the community. You relay the information the squad leaders to relay that to their soldiers. Use any vehicle you can spare for the very young and infirm."

"What about them?" she asks while tentatively motioning across the river, where the sounds of the growing fracas are now starting to be accompanied by thick plumes of smoke rising up into the clear midday sky. I wouldn't be surprised if at least several of those killed by that mob were close friends of hers.

"… Fuck 'em," I growl. If anything, the riot's more of a danger to the people here than a nuisance to the government. "And you have full right to defend yourself if need be. But I want you soldiers to focus on getting people out. The more you engage that mob, the more you're going to be bogged down. Is that clear?"

What is clear is that I seem to be asking a lot, but to her credit, Cote simply gives me a quick salute in assent. "Yes, Commander."

As I return the salute, I note, "Good. No matter what, I can't stress how important it is for everyone to get  _at least_  higher than a hundred feet from this elevation and avoid all low-lying areas. Also tell those at base to also clear out as fast possible. We're going to want all the vehicles to spare, and it's going to do nobody any good to be stuck besieged by the mob… which  _will_  cross the river."

The soldiers' faces pale ever so slightly at that last point, but if anything, Cote's way more composed than she was when we first started talking. "Anything else, sir?"

"If there is, I can't think of anything right now," I mutter while rubbing my temples. Seriously, it's nearly impossible to use my brain at all with the continuing racket, be it from the riot or the propo speakers. Seriously, even with all that's going on, said speakers are still blaring Coinist propaganda as if nothing's out of the ordinary. You'd think that someone would be using them to make a statement to call… for… order…

"Wait, Soldier!"

My exclamation causes Cote, who's already barking orders into her communicator and in the process of departing, to stop in midstride. "Sir?"

I point out towards the base: "Do you think you can grant me access?"

~oOo~

Fortunately, getting that access is easier than expected. Cote may not be officially a commander, but it's clear that her orders carry weight.

Because by the time I get into the base, I'm not only allowed entry without issue, the soldiers at the gate don't hesitate to salute me despite the wanted portraits right behind them. Not to mention that the base itself is already bustling with activity as all remaining soldiers rush out of the barracks, mobilize vehicles, and clear out the supply stations and armory. The ease in which everything has progressed so far is probably helped by the fact that any workers truly loyal to the regime already left in the Hand's transports when they made a pit stop there.

The departure of any loyalists also explains why there've been no changes in the content of the blared-out messages originating from the communications station. Of course, they left the regular soldiers and technicians to hold down the fort; in other words, the lackeys left everyone else to die.

In any case, right after I'm rushed into the studio, I don't waste any time — if things are as I fear, Coin may already be in the process of mobilizing a response — making a recording and letting it be something useful for once to play on loop over those speakers. I also waste no time in reiterating that those technicians and guards need to hightail it out themselves as there's nothing here for them to take care of at this point; even if the riot reaches and trashes the place, by that time the message should have gone long enough to sink in.

Upon getting everything taken care of, I tell Onyx the next stage; once the soldier affirms that he's okay with it — albeit with some hesitation when I make it clear as to what manner he's not going to be going at it alone — he begins wheeling me back to the vehicle. Though by the time we reach it, Madge's voice stops me:

"Where do you think you're going? The mountain is that way," she states while jabbing a thumb behind her. Indeed, this base is nestled right at the bottom of Mount M — named for the massive concrete "M" inexplicably installed halfway up; it's supposedly from pre-Cataclysm times — and even has a road, flight of stairs, and cable rail that goes straight to the summit; right now, many soldiers are using those paths to ferry supplies up there.

"You all," I say while motioning to her and all but one of the soldiers who have served as my escorts and companions, "should go on ahead. Alvar and I need to head back into the street."

"What."

"This was my idea, so I need to oversee it," I assert, undaunted by Madge's incredulity; not to mention the soldiers' for that matter, even though theirs is nonverbal.

"You also need to not fall into Coin's hands dead or alive," she counters before shuddering. "Especially not alive."

The thought of being captured alive is one that causes me to suppress a shudder of my own. "I don't intend to stay the whole way through, but we also need every vehicle we can spare. So I'm both going to make sure that things are progressing as planned and that Alvar is not going at this alone." Before anyone can say what I think they are going to say, I add, "The part about needing every vehicle to spare is exactly why you're not going to be able to ride along. If you want to accompany me, I'm not going to stop you, but it will have to be on foot."

 _Aand of course they step forward to help…_  "Fine. Just be prepared for the fact that you're going to have to climb that mountain on foot. You," I state while rounding on Madge, "will be going straight up there."

Despite me expecting her to continue objecting, the mayor's daughter instead issues a long resigned sigh, "Let me guess: you're about to give me your holo."

"Yes I am," I reply with a smirk as I hand over the device to her. "You already have full authentication. If—"

"—something is to happen to you… Yeah yeah, I know," Madge mutters while giving me a brief hug. "Just don't do anything overly stupid."

"You know me," I chirp at her retreating back before turning to the soldiers. "Alright, everyone, let's go."

When we leave the base, there's already a decent flow of people in the streets even though only a few minutes have passed since the new broadcast has hit the air. It also seems that even with my new idea, Cote's still powering ahead with the initial one as I can see soldiers and locals going door-to-door, as well as the former helping the weaker civilians along or even carrying them.

Before long though, that flow turns into a torrent; they may loathe the new government and all who represent it, but inhabitants of Two are excellent at following directions no matter where said directions come from. In contrast to my wartime recollections of Capitol refugees frequently having skewed priorities in terms of how they are dressed and what they have with them, the people of North Gate are clearly bundled and geared up the best as they can be — which, admittedly, isn't much for many of them; be it due to time constraints at the moment or scarcity up till now — for hardship.

Even with the increasing urge to order the vehicle to rush out as fast as possible, Onyx actually keeps things steady — I can't see the speedometer, but I'm pretty sure we're going no faster than five miles per hour — so as to allow those in front of us to move out of the way in ample time; not to mention the soldiers alongside us to trot at a even pace. Besides, the civilians are also good at moving in a relatively — key word as everybody is scared out of their minds; I… may have not minced words regarding the possible fate of this place — orderly pace; rapid but orderly. Not saying there aren't any issues, but things are largely progressing without a break in the flow or people swamping the vehicles. Anytime we stop, it's to allow young children on board; those instances are almost always accompanied by no small amount of wailing from the kids and assurances from the parents that they will be reunited. Still, even though the less-than-a-mile-long journey feels like it takes hours, the act of comforting the mass of scared kids clinging to me does serve as a way to comfort myself.

Eventually, our vehicle finally makes a turn east to reach the base of the slope, and I can see that many people are already in the process of trekking up.

As we roll to a stop, Onyx looks back at me to ask, "How far, sir?"

"All the way to the ridge," I order before looking at our smaller passengers. "Alright, hold on."

The mountainside is actually not that steep — probably around thirty degrees — and it's luckily free of trees or large boulders. That doesn't mean the trek straight up and over a thousand feet in elevation is going to be easy, and in this case — fortunately with a lack of anyone in front of us — my driver doesn't hesitate to slam on the accelerator.

It also turns out that, even with the lack of large obstacles, the ride isn't the slightest bit smooth either. Actually, the vehicle feels like it's about to shake itself apart… that is, whenever it doesn't feel like it's about to rear up on its hind wheels to flip end-over-end… and sometimes it feels like both.

"We're almost there… we're almost there…"

I mutter that mantra to the huddled kids, to white-knuckled Onyx, to myself… despite the fact that the ridge doesn't look any closer to us. It's tempting to stop at the fire road located halfway up and parallel to the ridge, but the temptation is resisted as we cross — okay, "crash through" is a more apt term — it.

Eventually though, we finally make it. For a moment, it feels like we're about to careen over the edge, but we do make it when Onyx makes a hard left and puts on the brakes in time. Even then, I don't allow my nerves time to settle before I tell him to just go north along the ridge road until we reach the summit, which is where the personnel from the base should be gathered.

As we putter along, I fish out the unit flag from the console and hold it aloft out the left window. Hopefully the people down below — by now, the mass of dark specks moving up the mountainside looks like a swarm of ants on a crust of bread; larger and faster blotches signify vehicles — will get the hint that they are all supposed to follow us. At the very least, they should reach and follow the fire road.

It's a slightly treacherous trek, but we finally reach our main destination, the summit of Mount M. Here, pine trees carpet the whole area and provide a substantial amount of cover; probably no enough hide in if a hovercraft were to appear directly overhead, but hopefully enough to obscure a crowd from a distance.

We're not far into the woods before we reach and park the vehicle at the Army camp, which is already in the process of being set up and receiving the first trickle of refugees. After allowing the little ones to spill out, I haul myself out to find Madge waiting for us.

Upon getting the holo back, the only thing I can do now is sit in place as more people stream into the refuge and take out a pair of binoculars to watch the events unfolding down below.

As I predicated, instead of dispersing, the riot finds itself unsatisfied with causing chaos on the north side of the city and proceeds across the bridges to besiege the now-abandoned base; up till that point, the soldiers have been allowing refugees to flow in and flee up the path provided, only shutting everything down behind them at the very last moment. Before long they break past the barricades and take the place over to declare victory, complete with waving an old flag someone managed to scrounge up.

The whole time, none of them seem to pay any heed to my warnings. In fact, and to my anger, they proceed to block roads in the process of taking over the city, effectively trapping any remaining resident in. All because they think victory's assured.

But sure enough — probably close to two hours after the riot first started — the bombers finally appear.

It's almost anticlimactic in a way. One moment we're watching a city being torn apart; the next, seven hovercraft uncloak to circle above that city. It takes a while for the mob to notice the new arrivals, and when they do, gunfire and shouts are heard as they try to take potshots.

All the bombers do is drop their payload.

Though instead of explosions and flames, are that appear are pillows of white clouds. Clouds that sink down and go along the paths to dissipate into the air.

First the square is hit… then the base… then finally the remaining neighborhoods.

Within a minute the gunfire stops. By that time, I can see the distant forms crumple to the ground to vomit and writhe as twitches… then spasms overtake them. Some try to cover their faces, but that doesn't even buy them any time. Others realize what's about to happen, and they either flee into buildings in the hope of finding shelter or they finally take my advice to go up the mountain. I don't know what happens to those in the shelters, though I doubt much protection is given. What I do know is that it's too late to go for high ground now; that much is clear as the latecomers and stragglers suffer the same fate as everyone else left in the city.

After just a few minutes, streets and open spaces of North Gate are covered in still and silent bodies as the bombers circle like buzzards to check for stragglers. After an extremely tense fifteen minutes, the bombers turn back north and recloak.

Upon the bombers' disappearance, subdued cries emanate all around, and I look to over to see that as Cote and the other soldiers stare down at the city with horror and denial warring to take prominence on their faces.

After what we've just been witness to, I have no desire at all to rub it in the soldiers' faces; it'd not only be pointless but do a disservice to everyone. Instead, I issue a weary sigh and say, "We can't go back. There's could still be traces of the toxin left, and there's no telling if those bombers will be back."

"So what do we do, sir?" Cote asks.

"We rest for now, and then we go on the move. I already have a destination planned. It's going to be a long southeast trek on foot, but as long as this mild winter holds, we may be able to make it. Also I take it that all our hovercrafts are accounted for?" At my question, the soldier checks into her comm before replying in the affirmative, which causes me to respond with a, "Good. The young and infirm will ride on ahead with them."

With that plan stated and out of the way, all the soldiers available work to set up logistics, check for any injuries, and do a tally. To my dismay, it becomes increasingly clear that only a quarter — if that — of the population made it. But right now, there's really nothing that can be done but to comfort the survivors and possibly even reunite separated families.

And for now, I feel fatigue beginning to take prominence. So at Madge's insistence that she can take over the role of overseeing things, and as a couple unclaimed little ones curl up against me — I do hope at least some of their family made it — I finally allow myself to rest.

The rest is short-lived.

That's because I'm barely able to settle my eyes before a chorus of screams goes up. Screams that cause me to look up and my blood to freeze. Screams that herald the fact that Coin's bombers are indeed back… and headed in our direction.

Almost nobody here has any energy left to even try fleeing, and I doubt that we have enough anti-aircraft weaponry to down all our assailants. So all I do is hold the kids close to me, murmur a lullaby, and hope that Peeta fares better for everyone's sake.  

_Well… I tried._


	9. Escape

 

***Back to Peeta***

It can be quite an interesting experience to be a wanted fugitive.

True, Katniss and I aren’t officially wanted yet. Actually, in a way, I’m a bit disappointed that our dear Alma hasn’t seen fit to upgrade our status to that of “Traitor”. I mean, it’s not like she can’t fabricate some story on national broadcast as to how dangerous we are to the well-being of her little utopia with all of its bland brutality, but you’d expect a bit of haste here.

Granted, I’m pretty sure that our unannounced and covert departure probably will hasten the issuing of the inevitable treason charge. Well, that is once the authorities confirm that the bodies in our probably-still-burning house aren’t ours. Unfortunately, creating a fabricant wasn’t feasible in such short notice, so we had to make due to with storing a couple of the assholes from the attack; fortunately, they’re within my, Katniss, and Haymitch’s body types, and we only needed to chop off a leg and replace it with one of my prosthetics.

Still, the torching of our house is close enough to Gale and Lyme going on the run that it has to raise some suspicion in the Capitol, and once they manage to identify the bodies… yeah.

Until then though, the government is unlikely to make any sort of public announcement, which should buy us some time. Then again, the red flags raised might cause security to be tightened everywhere. Not to mention that there’s always the chance that Coin will risk things and—

“You’re doing it again.”

Katniss’ voice shakes me from my musing, and I see two silver orbs almost shining in the gloom. “Huh?”

“You’re over-thinking things again,” she clarifies with _that_ tone of voice.

I wave off my wife’s concern with flippant nonchalance. “You can’t fault a guy for making sure his bases are covered.”

“Except when those bases are now out of our hands.”

I don’t give any real response to that except to look at the faint outline of my own hands. Not because I think Katniss is wrong. If I’m being honest with myself, the fact that she’s right is exactly why I don’t respond; because there’s no good way to. To deny her allegation would be to lie, and I’m not going to do that to my wife. However, to actually confirm it would mean that I’d have to put some thought into the subject… which would then mean keeping my mind on the reality that I’m actually a pointless piece of jetsam that’s filled with delusions of having at least a bit of influence in this out-of-control tempest that I ride in.

Aand of course my mind is exactly on that right now. _Wonderful._

“Peeta.”

I offer a grunt but continue staring at those hands of mine. Right now, all I wish is be back in bed, not crammed in a secure section of a freight train. Granted, I wish for a lot of things… like certain loved ones to still be alive. But hoping for our wishes to be fulfilled truly is an exercise in futility.

“Peeta.”

Katniss’ soft and repeated utterance of my name finally does force me to look up again. Unspoken words seem to flow from those alert eyes of hers into mine, and I’m reminded that there are still people to care about.

So while my fight may be futile, I’m still going to fight.

Even if it means that I have to flee first.

And yes, I know how stupid that sounds.

Stupid or not, it’s the most practical option for us now, and it’s why Katniss and I are holed up in the cargo section of a train headed for East City. Despite Six’s general stance — a stance upheld by the institution that controls the railroads themselves — and its success in stamping out dissent, we still have friendly faces embedded in the system; they have to keep a way lower and more inactive profile than their counterparts in many other districts, but there are still enough around to be of use in various ways.

Naturally, one of those ways takes the form of contacts within the rail system that allow various things… or passengers… to be smuggled throughout Panem. It was though those contacts that the Second Rebellion was able to come to fruition, and we’re making it work now. Of course, being that those now in charge of the railroad system now were part of the smuggling system then, they know full well the old tricks of the trade; so some new tricks needed to be made. 

From there, we’ll catch a transport to Central and figure out our next destination; while that community is secure and will do everything in its power to keep us safe, it’s still too early to risk increasing the already-present friction between Porus and Coin. That being said, I’m still not too sure about my ultimate destination, even though I have a few decent ideas; I also hope that the same goes for Haymitch.

For various reasons, Haymitch decided to strike a different path from the start. We even made sure not to tell each other where we were going and how we’d be getting there. Granted, since there are only so many ways out of Twelve, it’s not too hard to imagine which general direction our mentor went… or whom he’s likely going to rendezvous with. 

Still, even though Haymitch likely knows full well what he’s doing — hell, apparently this isn’t the first or even second time he’s done something like this; though the previous instances involved him returning back to Twelve before anyone was the wiser — I still can’t help but be concerned for his safety. I also can’t help but play various morbid scenarios in my head as to what would happen if he gets cornered or, worse, captured.

“Yeah, yeah… I know… Out of my hands…” I mutter to my wife, who’s looking at me in that manner that lets me know that she knows exactly what I’m thinking. And yeah, both of us are still shocked by that little fact of perception. We’ve definitely come a long way from that time when we were inscrutable to each other; Katniss an element of mystery to me, and me a source of suspicion for her. Sometimes, our current ability to get a read on the other can be a source of frustration, but I also know that we’d truly have it no other way.

Not that I have time at the moment for continuous introspection. Because as of right now, I can feel the train slowing down… which means that it’s time to get back into the box. And within five minutes, Katniss and I are snuggled around each other; rolls of textiles from Eight cushion and shelter us.

If there’s a couple of things to be thankful for during this journey, it’s that the lack of cameras in the car mean that we didn’t have to be hole up in the box for the entire duration, and that the presence of a lavatory meant that we didn’t have to go in the box either. Of course we were prepared for a worst case scenario — there are disposable containers packed with us just in case — but there’s no point in making that kind of sacrifice if they are unnecessary.

Despite knowing that things could be worse on this end — both in terms of conditions and whom I share said conditions with — being contraband is not an existence that I would consider comfy by any means. On top of that, there’s a slight, yet ever-present, level of fear that continues to keep me on edge. Some would say that just means I’m staying sharp, but they ignore the fact that a knife can be sharpened to the point of becoming brittle; of course, being aware of that does nothing to help me relax even for my own sake. Because all that needs to happen is for a not-so-friendly-face to open up the crate and shift the contents around, and the whole thing could unravel. Sure, I have a sidearm on me, but if things get to the point where I have to use it, we’re probably screwed anyways.

So all Katniss and I do is hold each other’s hands — probably our breaths as well — when the cargo door slides open to allow the in muffled sounds of bustling activity. I don’t know how many minutes pass as workers move wares and inspectors go through the inventory to make sure everything’s in place, but what I do know is that it’s agonizing. Before I can go completely nuts however, I feel our crate jolt as it’s moved out of the train and the station to who-knows-where.

After we’re set down, it’s only after I can get a good look at the worker taking the lid off and rolling away the fabric that I finally relax the grip on my sidearm; I can feel Katniss doing the same as well. We don’t have time to waste with niceties, but that doesn’t mean our contact doesn’t try refusing the gold chains — a less suspicious currency than actual money if you want to pay someone past a certain amount — I thrust into his hands before we leave the warehouse to progress into the depths of East City.

The tech-driven factory city towers around us as we make our way around its base. I’ve been told that even during Snow’s reign, this area was a lawless zone where anything went; as long as things didn’t spill into even the lower levels, the Peacekeepers didn’t mess with the inhabitants here and vice versa.

Coin being in power hasn’t changed that.  

Above, I can see the large projections displaying my little group’s fugitive status. Hovercraft fly between the skyscrapers, and foot patrols from both the military and Crimson Guard walk just a couple floors above us.

But we stay undetected.

Probably because they don’t think us crazy enough to wander here.

“Well lookie here…”

For good reason.

A gang of around tend stands before us with a collective hungry light in their hollow eyes. Despite their pale skin showing the ravages of all kinds of afflictions that would get them detained if they went to the upper levels, their clothes are in much better conditions than what you can get from here. They are also well-armed.

Their leader shows blackened teeth is a grin aimed at us. “Now what are a couple pretty Sunsiders doing wandering in these parts.”

“Just seeing the sights,” I respond with a lazy smile of my own. “How are you this fine… day, I think?”

“Doing quite well,” he chirps in response before leveling me and Katniss with a knowing stare. “Splendid in fact. We won a prize after all.”

I decide to play coy: “Well, as much as I’d like to see that prize, we’re in a hurry right now.”

The gang’s leader, smile doesn’t waver but simply widens. “I think you can hold off on that,” he drawls, “Mr. Mellark.”

 _Welp, I guess we’re done beating around the bush._ “I take it can’t up the price offered so that we can be on our way?”

That gains an unpleasant chortle from everyone. “Nah. I doubt even you can top what that biddy from Thirteen is offering. Besides…” Eyes search our bodies in a way that makes my stomach turn lazily over. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had some entertainment these days. Not gonna pass up some fresh Sunsider.”

“Yeah…” I drawl. “We asked nicely to let us pass. But then you had to go and say that.”  Despite my revulsion, I keep my smile plastered on to show that I’m not afraid. I don’t even have to look at Katniss to know she’s not afraid either.

My lack of fear gives the ruffians pause and makes their leader shift his grin to a sneer. “And what are you gonna do about it, Mellark?”

“Me? I’m not going to do anything?” I counter.

_He is._

As if in response to my thoughts, one of the ruffians flops forward with the front of his face a crimson and pink blossom. Then another. And another.

The mutts fall upon the rest.

Above us, and despite the shrieks of the dying, the patrols carry on as usual.

Yeah, that’s how messed-up this city is.

I approach our new arrival, who’s just finishing airing open the gang leader’s throat, while looking at my holo. “You’re earlier than scheduled.”

Luce Stone barely glances at me — one of his eyes a black cybernetic prosthesis — as he wipes away blood. “You can imagine why,” he mutters.

That garners a dark chuckle from me. “True. Thanks.”

The Guardian just shrugs at that. He’s not the hollow mess that he was at the end of the war, but he now carries himself with a poise that’s equal parts hard and somber.

And it’s with that that he guides us from the edge of the city into the wilderness beyond.

I don’t know if we can win this, but I know what’s at stake if we don’t try.

So for the sake of our loved ones and this nation, it’s up to us to weather this storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... yeah. We're gonna end this open-ended. 
> 
> I didn't want to end things like this, and there is a ton of plot mapped out in my mind (Everlark escapes to another country, huge battles, war crimes, war criminals getting comeuppance, tons of favs dying, a toll on Peeta, victory at a cost, and an invader taking advantage of that cost..), but my writing couldn't match that.
> 
> For those who have been along for the ride, it's been a pleasure.  
> Fare thee well.


End file.
